Dream Scenario

First, I recommend going into Dream Scenario knowing as little as possible about the movie. Avoid trailers, even synopses (maybe even this review). Discovering the premise is as enjoyable as the rest of the movie.

But even after being amused by this unique and creative premise, it didn't seem like there was anywhere else for this idea to go. But there's no reason to worry. The directions it takes are just as creative as the premise.

Even though it's very different, this gave me Eternal Sunshine vibes, especially with how original it feels. The humor is fairly dry, which I normally don't like. But it made me laugh a decent amount, usually loudly. And there are a few moments that hit hard.

Nick Cage. Oh Nick Cage. I watch all his movies. Most are bad, but Dream scenario is part of the resurgence (along with Massive Talent). And even though most people just want to see his hilarious freakouts, here he reminds us that he is one of the most talented actors out there. I haven't forgotten. I would love to see it more often.

(2 viewings, 12/22/2023, 7/25/2025)

I must say first that Dream Scenario is not at all what I expected it to be. After falling in love with writer/director Kristoffer Borgli's previous film Sick Of Myself, then exploring all of his recent short films on YouTube, I thought I had a grasp on what to expect from Dream Scenario, but I was off and that makes it a bit more challenging to form a solid opinion on. One thing is for certain though: regardless of how much you feel like you are enjoying the film as you are watching it, this is the kind of movie that will have you thinking and talking about it, trying to find all the analogies, for some time afterwards. Though my girlfriend left the theater a total of 4 times due to anxiety, she pulled even more apt metaphor out of it than I did when it was over - it gave us a lot to discuss, far more than the average movie.

The overall tone was way different than I was expecting. The trailer had me thinking this would be a quirky adventure into dreams and personalities, but Dream Scenario is FAR more horror-leaning than I'd imagined. Having seen Borgli's previous work in combination with the choice to have Nicolas Cage as the lead, this really threw me off. Once you get into it, it often feels like the work of Ari Aster, which made a lot more sense to me when the ending credits hit and I saw that Ari Aster had produced it. Apparently Aster was originally set to direct this film with Adam Sandler as the lead, but after Sick Of Myself did well, Aster pushed to get Borgli in the director's chair for A24. Overall, the movie has its signature Borgli moments but it definitely feels like a combination of Borgli, Aster, and A24 vibes rather than simply a Borgli piece.

There is not nearly as much comedy as I thought there would be, and most of it is very subdued. I felt like I was laughing more than anyone else in the theater, and it was not much, to be honest. Laughs are simply not one of the primary focuses of the film, in my opinion. And on the subject of atypical focuses, there are hardly fleshed-out characters in this movie at all - they are more like archetypes or vessels that allow the themes to be explored. The way Cage's character works is that he is an effective "every man" in the sense that he's not really likable, but also not especially unlikable - he could be just about any average person, and that's the point. The real "main character" is society and their response to what's happening in a collective manner.

While it's not the most riveting or throughly enjoyable film, it is incredibly original and does seem to have a lot to say underneath it's surface of "simplicity". I was expecting something in the realm of Charlie Kaufman, but what I got was perhaps something I can't compare to almost anything else. At one point in the film, there is a book that is released, and when it does the character who wrote it exclaims "It was supposed to be called Dream Scenario", then the publisher responds, "Is there something wrong with the new title, I Am Your Nightmare?". I feel like this is a fitting summary of my entire experience with this film. I'm not sure if that was all set up on purpose, as a "haha" at the viewer's expense, but knowing Borgli and his specific style of genius-level trolling, I'd say he knew exactly what he was doing.

Dream Scenario is a really funny look at unexpected fame and how it's impossible to control how others interpret it. A be careful what you wish for story that's a lot stronger when primarily focusing on how fame changes a person than when it delves into cancel culture.

Uncomfortable with how his own image has been interpreted, Nicolas Cage is the ideal person for this. He plays the pitiful nature of Paul beautifully and brings none of the Cage rage he's synonymous with, in a nice change of pace. The film also feels aware of Cage's persona, understanding everything is funnier and weirder because it's Nic Cage specifically.

Kristoffer Borgli's direction really nails the dream sequences in particular. They're very surreal (obviously), brief and when they start to turn into nightmares they really don't hold back on the violence. It also has the second most hilariously awkward sex scene of recent memory, with Beau Is Afraid being number one which is so fitting since Ari Aster is a producer on this.

It was kind of hard to get into at first since the characters seem to come off kind of pompous and smug, which makes it hard to like them. Nic Cage's character comes off pretty pathetic and awkward - but that's the whole point. There were moments that were funny, but mostly I felt kind of uneasy. I think the camera was too close to the actors faces at times - that's probably what made me feel uncomfortable. It felt like I was invading their personal space. All that being said, this movie has probably one of the best fart scenes of all time. I would re-watch this movie just to experience that scene again lol.

Dream Scenario is a pretty interesting look at what social media fame - or just fame in general - can do to a person and all the negative effects that come with it. It also highlights the toxicity of cancel culture. I guess moral of the story is: don't go chasing fame. Although, Paul didn't really engage in pursuing fame, it kind of came to him through something that was out of his control. The concept of ant intelligence and how ants might share a sort of hive mind definitely was a really interesting concept. I love how they tie that into the main story of how everyone is dreaming about the same person. The concept of influencers invading people's dreams to advertise products was an insane concept. Overall, this movie was pretty darn good. It had an interesting premise and took a creative approach when exploring its different concepts. I'd re-watch this movie and I can definitely recommend it if you want something different.

At first it seems to be something bizarre, there's folk you've never met know who you are, and they're crawling out the woodwork, heads are sharing you in their talk, exponentially, you've become quite a star. It's opened doors that you would never have walked through, but this path of fame has started to unglue, mistaken, misconstrued, there are those who know exclude, you don't recognise the image, that's just not you. Alas the wheels soon come off and you are troughed, and celebrity and stardom are soon lost, as fame is rather fickle, and what's past has made you prickle, you're left to wonder whether stature's, worth the cost.