As every year comes to an end, many filmmakers release lists of their favorite films from that year. One interesting list was published by director John Waters, who ranked the Norwegian director Doug Johan Hagerud’s trilogy “Love-Sex-Dreams” second. The three films deal with passion, across a wide range of ages and sexual orientations, while highlighting the humanity involved in this experience. The films premiered at international film festivals last year, and the third film, “Dreams,” now arrives in cinemas.
Dreams gently explores a shy and dreamy high school student. Johanna drifts into fantasies and dreams and is more connected to them than to the ground or her physical body. Her life becomes unsettled when a new teacher joins the high school French and Norwegian faculty, also named Johanna. The student Johanna quickly falls in love with the new teacher, and they begin meeting at the teacher’s apartment. Both actresses previously appeared in another film by the director, “Careful, Children.”
Hagerud created “Dreams” as a non-linear cinematic experience. From the first minutes, it becomes clear that the love story is one-sided from the student’s perspective.
She writes down her intense thoughts and feelings. When her words are revealed to her mother Christine and her grandmother Karin, her life changes forever. The student’s infatuation becomes a way to examine the relationships between the women in the family, each undergoing her own emotional journey.
This is integrated with the student Johanna’s narration. The narration describes the relationships. Although much of what is described is filmed, these shots do not convey Johanna’s intense emotions. Part of her characterization shows she seeks validation from the outside world. This is also expressed through breaking the fourth wall, as she speaks directly to the audience. The writing makes Johanna very relatable, and the narration is simultaneously charming, moving, and compelling. She speaks in a colorful, rich, beautiful, and lively language.
Even in scenes without narration, the dialogues are remarkable. They combine the film’s poetic ideas with excellent performances by the actresses expressing the complexity of the characters. Christine, Johanna’s mother, goes through a journey of introspection via her daughter’s romance, digesting the texts. Johanna the teacher is also highly prominent in the film.
Modine’s performance early in the film presents the student’s perspective, later revealing a more complex character with autonomy and her own desires. The actresses’ strength lies in keeping the extreme events of this forbidden love believable, at least in most scenes.
Another interesting feature of the film is its cinematic style. Most scenes are lit realistically light comes from windows, reflecting significant differences in brightness between inside and outside, without attempting to express emotions through color or lighting contrasts. The cinematography provides a sense of realism. This principle extends to the soundtrack, which integrates music diegetically. For example, in one scene, the background song comes from a character’s speaker.
These choices contrast with the extensive fourth wall breaks and voice-over usage. The result is a unique cinematic vision, making the audience feel the story unfolds in reality and the characters are directly accessible. It is an interesting interplay between formal and realistic cinema.
Despite some inconsistent and even exaggerated dialogue lines, “Dreams” is one of the best films of the last year. It is no surprise it won the main prize at the Berlin Festival jury. It is also unsurprising it appeared on John Waters’ list. This is a stunning film, sharply and clearly presenting the beauty of human life, with all its moments of pain and joy.