Dream Scenario (2023)

Packing a lot of material and ideas into a single film can result in a muddled, confusing mess, no matter how well-meaning a filmmaker’s intentions might be. However, in his third feature outing, writer-director Kristoffer Borgli succeeds for the most part when it comes to tackling such an imposing task. This offbeat tale of tenured but underappreciated university professor (Nicolas Cage) takes viewers on a wild ride through the diverse realms of fame, metaphysics, cancel culture, unrelenting group think, and unexpressed, underpursued desire, and the downside consequences of each. All of this…

CinemaSerf

6.0

Nov 23, 2023

When college professor "Matthews" (Nicolas Cage) starts appearing in the dreams of strangers (oh, and his wife!), his whole life is turned topsy-turvy. Initially it's all a rather benign phenomenon with his appearances fleeting, inconclusive and harmless. Until, that is, he meets one person who has been having a rather more intimate experience. Not only does this meeting not go very well (on various levels!) but it seems to change the very nature of the illusions for everyone, turning them more into nightmares... A predictable, occasionally violent, backlash ensues which makes the man's life -…

It must be not the most original movie but hey, it is something unexpected. Being from A24 I did what I do on almost all movies - didn't read anything about it beforehand. After watching the movie and taking my conclusion, I researched a bit about it: it is a black comedy movie from the norwegian (ok strange film spoiler) Kristoffer Borgli produced by Cage and Ari Aster. Ok, this also got my attention: the director has only 3 movies with this one, being the last one "Sick of Myself" (2022) literally the opposite of what this one talk about - a satyre of cancel culture in a mildly surrealis…