Land of Dreams

Shirin Neshat is a celebrated visual artist famous for her multi-media installations at MOMA and elsewhere. Her visual hand is everywhere in this visually stunning film realizing a script by the great late surrealist, Jean-Claude Carrière (with Shoja Ansari). True to her other films, NeshaL resists providing easy and pat interpretations of her visual images or the storyline of the film. The visual settings of the film echo the title--Land of Dreams--with floating representations, starkly engaging characterizations, and varying contrastive landscapes. Sheila Vand is the accomplished "dreamer" and dream collector at the center of the film achieving multiple characterizations in a nuanced performance. Matt Dillon and Isabella. Rossellini add polished star power to the film. Mohammad. Ghaffari stands out and is immediately arresting as a mystical guide in a commune that may or may not be real. This is a film that should be seen more than once to plumb the depths of the emotional symbolism that is at the center of all dreams.

As in all of Shirin's work, and in the true spirit of surrealism, the film poetically questions the known and the unknown and our understanding of reality and dream. This film stays with you for a long time as it touches on the issues of being an immigrant, an artist, a patriot, a rebel, and a wonderer in search of identity and dreams. Wonderful performances by all and specially by Sheila Vand and her captivating eyes.

If your kid is in this movie, you should watch it. Anyone else: no reason to subject yourself to it. Full confession: I came to this out of a crazy love for the Matt Dillon resurgence. More Matt Dillon, please. I read the poor reviews and thought maybe other viewers want formulaic Hollywood blah blah, whereas I actually enjoy go-nowhere indie films. But no: I was wrong and arrogant and the other IMDB users who wrote in before me to warn you were correct. This is so disjointed that it's not just that it has no clear beginning, middle and ending - there doesn't appear to be any point to ANY of it. And there are some lovely, talented actors in this - they were so wasted. Don't pile on to this train wreck. Save yourself!

The movie "Land of Dreams" should be called "Land of Nightmares". Absolutely nothing does work in this movie, the plot is vague, superficial, and without much to tell. The dialogues don't help either with absurd conversations and the actors seem to lack charisma, too dry, without feeling and soul. They literally look like aliens. But the worst in this movie are the set design, continuity and editing. There are too many to mention, but the dinner during a census interview was the worst.

The movie has a political theme but is totally lost with so much satire and symbolism. The direction, and soundtrack are a complete mess as well.

Ok, i admit it, i lasted only 25 minutes before i gave up on this mess, but this movie is so bad i couldn't watch another minute of it. Look, if you gonna make a movie, at least try to give me reasons to stay and watch it till you start unraveling your deep, meaningful and though provoking scenario that is supposed to amaze me..or something. Well, it's simply nothing for me. 25 minutes in and nothing, I mean absolutely nothing happened...not even a decent sentence or conversation. Oh ffs, come on...! Since I am not a movie director, or a screen writer, or whatever, I do not know what the heck happens in their meeting rooms, but I know this: this movies fails so bad at every turn it has given me digestion problems. Stay away from it.