Dreamland

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.

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.

With echoes of Allison Ander's "Gas, Food, Lodging", "Dreamland" tells a believable and engaging coming of age tale through the eyes of Audrey, a recent high school graduate caught at a personal crossroads. She lives in the ironically titled trailer park in the middle of the desert called Dreamland, which acts as a place to dream of something more, but few hold the hope required to get anywhere else. It's a stunning work with a muted visual canvas, showing images that evoke the desolation and abandonment the characters feel. Agnes Bruckner, who gave a stand-out performance in the little seen gem "Blue Car", again shows true skill as she keeps her highly conflicted character from becoming maudlin.

I've been really down on independent movies lately for their tedious pace and bland characters. However in Dreamland, while we do have a slow pace so common in independent movies, the characters here a very interesting to watch and there is an emotional story in the movie.

In the movie, we have an eighteen year old high school graduate whose life revolves around taking care of her alcoholic father and her best friend diagnosed with MS. She has a chance to leave the trailer park for college but feels that she would be selfish to move away from the people that depend on her. She even lets her best friend date the new guy in town even though she has feelings for him. We see that it is her father and her friend who are actually being the selfish ones for for being too dependent on her kindness and not letting her move on with her life.

The performances here are outstanding and the characters are interesting especially John Corbett and Gina Gershon in a bit role. But I do have to agree with some reviewers here that Justin Long was miscast as the basketball prospect/ love interest. It would have been more believable if he were a track star and not a basketball star.

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.