Nicolas Cage has undoubtedly been in his fair share of quirky, unique films, and he certainly knows how to give a performance that matches the level of quirkiness that the film requires. Well, he’s done it again with “Dream Scenario,” a film that has so much to say about the nature of dreams and serves as a meditation on the perceptions of those who are famous for good and bad reasons.
This is an endlessly fascinating movie that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it satisfying and nourishing for me as it’s a bold, audacious, and uncompromising triumph.
Cage stars as Paul Matthews, a milquetoast professor who begins popping up in other people’s dreams. The people explain that while crazy occurrences take place in the dreams, Paul emerges, and he’s just there standing still and functioning as a passerby. They want to know what his significance is for being in the dream.
Paul reunites with an old flame who wants to do a piece on him. She links his Facebook page in the story, and more and more people say they see him in their dreams. He becomes intrigued by the sudden fame but bewildered by his appearance in the dreams.
The fame eventually becomes too much for Paul, devastatingly impacting his marriage to his wife (Julianne Nicholson) and his daughters (Kate Berlant and Jessica Clement). However, a PR firm becomes interested in Paul. It’s headed up by Michael Cera, who wants Paul to be a spokesman for Sprite.
“Dream Scenario” was written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli. He has crafted a film that assaults both our senses and expectations. Yes, the movie does have some bizarre sequences that we sometimes can’t determine if they’re a dream or reality, but it never goes so far as to make the movie an incomprehensible mess.
Cage gives one of the most unique performances of his career as a man who at first is lukewarm to the idea of being a famous figure of the subconscious, but then he spirals out of control and even becomes a target of fear for those around him. This subject matter could’ve easily played to Cage’s strengths with his over-the-top lunacy, but Cage subverts the performance at every opportunity. It’s risky, but it’s also a rewarding character study.
“Dream Scenario” has elements of “Inception” and even one of Cage’s films, “Adaptation,” where he played a character with similar quirks.
The writing and directing by Borgli is wonderfully watchable, and Cage and a terrific supporting cast make this a head trip worth taking again and again.
This film is what dreams are made of: it’s one of the year’s best.
Grade: A
(Rated R for language, violence, and some sexual content.)
