Dreams

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

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Michel Franco (“Memory”) aims his camera in the direction of the erotic thriller with “Dreams.” The film, which has echoes of a genre popular in the 1990s, attempts to tackle the timely, emotionally charged subject of immigration. Franco deserves much credit for addressing the subject against expectations, albeit with some mixed results.

Aspiring dancer Fernando (Isaac Hernandez) endures a harrowing ordeal being abandoned in a truck attempting to cross the border into California. He arrives unannounced at an upscale house owned by his girlfriend Jennifer (Jessica Chastain), a rich philanthropist.

Fernando and Jennifer reignite a torrid relationship, presumably going on and off for several months. Fernando settles into domesticity.

Getting the cold shoulder and having trouble finding work, he decides to break it off with Jennifer who clearly enjoys control. She stalks him and calls nonstop. Jennifer refuses to still her efforts. She travels to Fernando’s home in Mexico City.

At a moment of weakness, involving a gift of ballet tickets, Fernando relents. He becomes the head of a new ballet production under Jennifer’s supervision. But then things go south…quickly.

Jessica Chastain is intense and authentic. Her role and energy are completely engrossing. She is both manipulative, affectionate, and vulnerable. There is some visceral pathos here. Jennifer is aloof and entitled, clearly thinking anything is possible and she deserves control. The sexual scenes too, are realistic and charged with amoral energy.

The one drawback is that the story feels heavy handed and Hallmark-ishly over the top, especially in the final scene. It is only the drama that feels somewhat outrageous. A less brutal climax might have served the film better and given this emotive topic a more compelling impact.

The film, possessing a resounding icy tone may or may not work, but there is comfort at least, in that Jessica Chastain gives her melodramatic monster all that she has to give, keeping with her past dramatic outings.

Write Ian at ianfree11@yahoo.com