The Dream Catcher

I'm an amateur independent filmmaker and heard about this film showing at the local college theater, so I figured I'd give it a shot, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The film is very real and honest, but entertaining and humorous at times. This films characters tended to remind of me of people I know, very real and tangible. I recommend anyone to see this movie, and by the end you will be completely engulfed up in the story.

Following the screening of this film at the Minneapolis International Film Festival, Ed Radtke, M.S. Nieson, and one of the film's coordinators spoke about the film and answered any questions the audience had. When asked a question about distribution, Radtke unfortunately answered with details about distributors' unwillingness to release a film because it may not be the easiest film to market. That is a shame because this film, the Emerging Filmmaker Competition Grand Prize Winner for Best Narrative Feature, may not be seen by American audiences.

"The Dream Catcher" is a film masterfully shot by the hand of up-and-coming cinematographer Terry Stacey in the vision of writer/director Ed Radtke. Their collaborative vision takes the form of a thoughtful and affecting piece about two young hitchhikers who have taken to the road to escape their individual lives. In doing so, their paths cross, and they eventually decide to take to the road together, although Freddy does so quite reluctantly. The two are masterfully contrasted. Freddy is stoic and a thoughtful, some-time thief, while Albert is talkative and an unremorseful kleptomaniac. Both come from similar backgrounds, and their journey never stray from paths deeply rooted in realism.

This film possesses a quality rarely found in studio films. The characters are tragically real, the direction surprisingly adept, and the cinematography has a quality rarely found on a movie with such a low budget. "The Dream Catcher" is a film that, if you have the chance to see (or even have the most minute chance of affecting the possible distribution of this film in any vein), you should see because it has heart not often found in Hollywood cinema.

I saw this movie in the bin at my local library and thought it was about the Indian "Dream Catcher" ornament. I liked the theme of lost boys, traveling across the landscape, etc. It was a pleasant surprise. Clearly a low budget movie, but they can make for great cinema because of the love effort to make a story come alive. Usually movies like these have a team effort to produce the vision…in short, it's all about passion. The acting of both male leads worked really well.

Maurice Compte who played Freddy stayed in character as a gloomy young man holding all his pain inside. It is hard for an actor to play this type of character so consistently. His facial expressions were money and he had a look perfect for the killer type in a movie but he never really exploded which made me hang on with him through his journey. Paddy Connor's character has similar issues but instead of going inward, Albert is a young boy who lives in the moment. He can't stop, rest, or feel…he just keeps moving forward, chatting nonstop. I've worked with troubled boys in a minimal security home and actually worked with a boy who was very similar to Albert. Paddy Conner nailed this character—totally believable.

Rent, buy, or borrow this movie. Too bad it didn't get marketed like it was should have. A movie like this just goes to show us all that great films are sitting on a shelf somewhere waiting to be seen.

At the inaugural Woodstock Film Festival, Ed Radtke's "Dream Catcher" took the Maverick Award for Best Feature Film - hands down - good thinking on behalf of the jury... this movie is beautiful...and a must see!

Sounds cliche - but really, I laughed...I cried.... I related, empathized, sympathized - did just about all the "izes" one could come up with.

Everyone I spoke to about the movie who saw it yesterday agreed - they were all blown away with this movie - I only hope it gets a chance to get out to everyone....

Hope this writer/director does a whole lot more for folks like us who love to see a movie that MOVES us - and that doesn't seem wrapped up with placing the "selling points" in a film that don't belong in there. The writing was beautiful, the actors were raw & real, the cinematography and symbolism was alluring... all to the point where you found yourself right alongside the characters... and deeper into the better part of yourself.

Beautiful flick...find a way to see this... Dream Catcher....

A really touching character driven roadmovie, with excellent performances by the two main characters (especially the youngest one).

I can honestly say that this is one of my top five favourite movies. Too bad I only got the chance to see it once. If you get the chance, don't miss it! This movie will stay with you for days after seeing it. Nevermind all the meaningless hollywood flicks, THIS is what movies are all about.