Dream Scenario (2023) Movie Review

Dream Scenario (2023) Movie Review

I have discussed before the impressive output from one of Hollywood’s most underrated studios A24. They continue to impress, with amazing releases time and time again. Their output in recent years has definitely seen its share of critical and commercial success. In 2023 and 2024 alone, they’ve had more than 20 films released in theatres and streaming, grossing over $500 million worldwide, which is just incredible to see. One of their sleeper hits from 2023 was the Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) directed Dream Scenario starring Nicolas Cage, as Paul Matthews, an ordinary family man, who finds his life turned upside down when strangers from all around the globe start to see him in their dreams. This leads to fame, without the perks and fortune, as the pleasant dreams turn to nightmares, making Paul an outcast. This high-concept film idea was one of the major selling points for me. Regardless of the talent involved, I was intrigued by its core story. Add Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson as his wife and Michael Cera as an ad executive who steals a lot of scenes in the film and visionary filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli to the project and I was all aboard. The film had a great marketing campaign, with a gorgeous one sheet poster and a fantastic trailer. But with all of this said, was the film still worth the watch?

Well, I am happy to report that A24 have indeed done it again. Dream Scenario is a profound, often uncomfortable film, that asks the audience to really go on this journey with Paul. You see the ups and downs of his life, as he tries to traverse his newfound fame, and how he can capitalize on that to propel his own career and launch his very own book. For lack of a better word, Paul is plain. There isn’t anything about his life that is fantastic or extraordinary, and he just goes through the motions of work, life and repeat. Seeing the story through the lens of Paul is what makes the film work for me, I think if the story was told in a third person perspective, we wouldn’t really grasp the full intentions of its story and what it's trying to say about celebrity, viral fame and our reliance on fads. How Paul is treated is really akin to the Tik Tok generation, we consume content and move on. Don’t get me wrong, I am a sucker for scrolling reels late at night, but there is no denying the viral nature of content and influencers have become the new celebrity. Gone are the days of the movie star, we now live in an era where influencers are the new a-listers.

As mentioned, Paul is played by Nicolas Cage, who I have mentioned before as being one of my all-time favourite actors. Whilst he has dabbled in the straight-to-DVD market for quite some time, he is back working on smaller, more personal, character pieces, and Dream Scenario is right up his alley, adding to his recent output of Pig, The Unbearable Weight of Massive talent, and the upcoming ‘the Surfer’ (filmed in Western Australia). He really sells Paul’s situation, playing up his more unappealing attributes, almost turning him into an unlikable and at times pathetic character, which is clearly his intention. This choice is inspired and made the journey of his character far more interesting, than a run of the mill, journeyman. Cage excels here and I think in time, the film will gather further appreciation and respect for his work.

Another strength here is the presentation of the dreams, we have such a wide array of dreams that all play out very differently. We have sequences that play out like a slasher film, erotic dreams that are strange and uncomfortable, other dream sequences where Paul is really just a passenger in the mundane and some quite disturbing ones as well. The visual language of this film is a reason the film is as memorable as it is for me. The visual variety of sequences, makes the repetitious act of seeing the dreams far more interesting, adding to the overall appeal. Kristoffer Borgli is an incredibly talented visual filmmaker, and I can’t wait to see what he does next, hopefully he continues to work on smaller, high-concept ideas, with A24, as he seems to have the freedom to see his vision realised.

‘Dream Scenario’ was a truly fascinating watch, whilst at times it was uncomfortable and sad, there are great humorous moments and sentimentality added to great effect. The film really is elevated by Kristoffer Borgli’s visual stylings and Nicolas Cage’s committed performance. I can’t recommend this to everyone, but if you’re a fan of filmmaking and A24’s impressive catalogue of titles, you need to check this one out. Be sure to pick-up your copy from Sanity today and shop all the other A24 gems out there.

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here