Dreamers

I had the oppurtunity to attend a sneak preview of this movie before it was released. While I think that Lu is a terrific story-teller and I would like to see what she has in store next, this movie did nothing for me. I've seen a story similar to this many times. The actor's were all adequate. I don't know what it was but it was a very unpleasant movie to watch, and you're reading a comment by a guy who thought Boogie Nights is one of the best movies of the decade. The characters were all kind of cardboard. I couldn't relate to any of them on a personal level. I definately understand if people like it though because there's a lot to like.

This film is about as self-reflexive as you can get: an indie film about making indie films. Midwesterner Dave follows his more street-wise friend Ethan to Hollywood with the intention of making it big as filmmakers. But it's not all fun and games in La-la land, as Dave comes to find out. Jordan and Ballou give excellent performances as Dave and Ethan, respectively. Dreamers is independent filmmaking at its best.

The young leads, through the use of the writers words, lead us from the "wasteland" to the "grail"! The brief scene in the coffee house lines out their success almost too rapidly. This climax is when we expect the happiest of all possible endings. Again the fine writing & the high Quality performances of the two friends, reminds us that dreams are just that. Fragments, fragile, frail and subject to interpretation and if we are lucky our dreams can come around again. Fine film, well acted, written, directed, and produced.

It has been some time since I last saw DREAMERS and I look forward to seeing it again. I recall being very confused when I left the screening as to what about it had affected me so greatly. I also remember that the characters kept coming back to haunt me and I knew that I was very glad that I had seen it.

It doesn’t have a huge ‘Hollywood’ budget and so may disappoint those who want to see flash sets and cutting edge special effects - much like CELEBRATION turned off those who didn’t believe that a good film could be made on video. What it does have are believable situations and a truth about Hollywood and American dreams that makes many uncomfortable.

No one is pulling any star turns. These are all the same sorts you would meet any day at any coffee shop in LA - full of hope and trying to avoid the reality of their situation at all costs. It is not a film for those who grew up here and realised the falseness of this place by the time they were in grammar school. It is certainly not for those who still think the place is marvelous and haven’t yet worked it out. Rather, it is for those who grew up someplace else - kept going by the dream that one day they would get here and their lives would be better - only to arrive and find the stars were glitter covered cardboard and the camera hadn’t caught all of the grimy back alleys. Sure it’s been done before yet people still keep coming, being disappointed and making movies about it. This is a film about how to survive once you’ve made that realisation. Though it is quite cynical it somehow manages to avoid a dismal ending which is pretty amazing in this town.

It is also the only time that I have seen the real reason that you should love THE FOUR HUNDRED BLOWS (and it isn’t because your film teacher told you that you should).

I was fortunate enough to see Dreamers at a screening in Los Angeles, and I was struck by the poetry of this film. Because Ann Lu is a native of China, I think she brings a unique perspective to Hollywood and the tale of two young filmmakers obsessed with making cinema. It's a Hollywood we don't normally see -- a world of subtle compromises, quiet ambition, and relentless dreams. Where most films about film-making depict the struggles of Hollywood through cliché, this film reveals its protagonist through his dysfunctional relationship with his possessive mother. Lu shows us the painful reality of broken homes, and how that pain follows us and influences us well into adulthood. The direction here is evocative of the French new wave, with suburb acting. It is a must for those fascinated by what propels, shatters, and ultimately fulfills our dreams.