Dreamland

This film premiered at Sundance.

It is a beautifully photographed, sensitively presented, leisurely paced drama set in "Dreamland", a trailer park in New Mexico. Unlike most coming-of-age stories that focus on young males, this is one that centers on an 18-year old female. The main character, Audrey (Agnes Bruckner), is a recent high-school graduate who gets involved in a love triangle that includes her ailing best friend, Calista (Kelli Garner), and Mookie (Justin Long), a newcomer to Dreamland.

John Corbett's nuanced portrayal of Audrey's concerned but agoraphobic father is the best film acting he's done yet. The young actors all have good screen presences and create believable characters.

Although the main audience for this movie may be teen-aged girls, it may also be appealing to young men (Audrey and Calista look quite fetching as they hang out in a hot tub). The film may provide valuable insights to anyone who deals with teens and their issues--and it may strike an emotional chord with adults who went through loyalty or love-triangle issues when they were teens.

I saw it again at the Gen Art Film festival in NYC last night, and appreciated it even more the second time around. Most of the people in the audience (an almost full house at the Ziegfeld Theater) seemed to respond to it favorably, and the overall "buzz" sounded enthusiastic to me.

This is one of those movies that chills the heat out of your bones. It depicts a world in which white trash circles within its own boundaries and can't seem to escape from it. It's a movie about feelings and how to handle them in your daily business. Two young girls seem to be stuck in a provisionary trailer park called "Dreamland", those two girls only have themselves to cling to until a new family moves in, one of the new members is a college boy that aims at being a star at pro-basketball at a the local club. He's just a jerk with little prospects but he impresses both girls and hooks up with the one who has MS and is due to die soon. Maybe it's his compassion, that is not clear, she's the most beautiful of the two (not to my opinion), well if you like big breasts then maybe. However, the relation those two girls had, after the boy arrived deteriorates; for the girl with MS spends all of her time on him (who doesn't recognize that?) so the two girls don't have these long hours together reminiscing about their future anymore. But it's about more than that, it's about loyalty, caring for the ones next to you without consent, longing for an escape to break the inevitable circle of life. Despite some cheap scenes this movie is a desolate cry for help to the humans next to you, a solemn oath to the ones closest to you.

This is a compelling, evocative coming of age story that has uniformly terrific performances and expert cinematography. The film invites and earns comparison with indie landmarks like GAS FOOD LODGING and RUBY IN PARADISE but is far more than a mere imitation. The stunning photography eschews the grainy, hand-held look of many independent films in favor of a classical expressionism that beautifully conveys the emotions at the story's core. Those emotions are in turn beautifully portrayed by a flawless cast that is given solid support by an unusually strong score and collection of source songs. For viewers looking for a solid character-based dramedy, this is a must see.

Dreamland is a film about hopes and dreams, fear and regret. Audrey and her father Henry live in a trailer park after Henry's wife has passed away. Henry is a drunk and deathly afraid of physically leaving the trailer park, where he has lived for the past several years. Calista, Audrey's best friend, is a beautiful, aspiring Miss America who has MS, counting the days until she dies. Dreamland explores a common theme of breaking personal boundaries (real or perceived) and having to face your own truth. It works because the context is exquisitely executed. The imagery is extremely well done, and Kelli Garner's performance, a hint of Marilyn Monroe, is the most difficult and deserves recognition. John Corbett's character does push his limits but he does a fine job. Gina Gershon has a bit part but does it well. The main flaw is the ending, and I wish they would have taken a more risqué approach rather than wrapping everything up in a nice bow.

This is an introspective film about a young girl named Audrey. Her mother has died, her father is agoraphobic, and her best friend is struggling with her health as well. They live in a beautiful area of New Mexico, but their home is a dismal trailer park. Audrey would like to escape this dead end life but sees no way out since most of the people she loves depend on her. This movie is about her (and their) journey to discover how they can escape their ruts.

The film is well made; the characters are all well developed, and Agnes Bruckner, John Corbett (in a big departure from his usual persona) and Justin Long (among others!!) all do a great job portraying their respective characters.

Unfortunately, this film won't reach a wide audience, but for what it's worth, I enjoyed it.