It promises you sex and ballet, but not much else.
There are some things to be turned on about Michel Franco’s new film “Dreams.” For one thing, his “Memory” leading lady Jessica Chastain is almost 50-years-old, but she still looks and feels great. Another thing, we have another affair in the tradition of “The Last Picture Show,” “Babygirl,” and “The Reader,” as her character has an affair with a much younger man, and their sex scenes couldn’t be filled with more eroticism. And finally, it has a passion for ballet dancing, which sheds a light for Franco’s filmmaking.
But even with sex and dances, there must be a story to tell, and “Dreams” doesn’t have much to comprehend. It does suggest that actions have consequences, and it does distinguish between class and citizenship, but it never really delves into them. It just gazes at them without asking questions or acknowledging them, and we don’t have much to take away from the film. In fact, it’s rather kind of boring and derivative of what could emerge from a film made by Franco.
We meet Fernando (real life dancer Isaac Hernández), an undocumented young Mexican ballet dancer, who has a secret affair with an older wealthy San Francisco socialite named Jessica McCarthy (Chastain). She is in the same family art business as her brother Jake (Rupert Friend) and her father Michael (Marshall Bell)-the McCarthy Foundation, and she discovered Fernandez talents and manliness at a dance school in Mexico City. She helps out immigrants in her position, but her father warns her: “there are limits.” All the more reason why Jessica and Fernandez keep their romance discreet.
Despite his lack of papers, Fernando finds himself with great success in the ballet world by working his way from a dancer to a teacher. And he speaks fluently in both English and Spanish. Although it would take a miracle for him and Jessica to have a legit relationship. And there are times when he has to illegally cross the border to San Francisco to reunite with her. And only once is when he gets detained.
Franco is a filmmaker who can specialize in both American and Mexican films. After all, “New Order” was a dark and uncomfortable representation of a breakdown in society, while “Memory” featured pure emotions from Chastain. She continues to collaborate with the director with her disposition, dialogue, and beauty, but his latest entry is too skittish to represent themes of racism, class, philanthropy, and romance. It zigzags around, as it suggests that the young dancer might be avoiding his lover when he doesn’t return her calls, but he soon gets back in bed with her. And it never tasks risks regarding an affair of this portion. A businesswoman and an illegal immigrant might be complicated, but all we’re given are warning signs.
Another thing I didn’t like is how its final 20 minutes have to suggest consequences in the form of rape and imprisonment. It indicates that these two characters are unlikable and selfish. In fact, they might as well have a double date with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s characters in “Wuthering Heights.” And both of them can have as much passion and an artful look as they please (there’s an immigration detention facility scene when the caught immigrants set a mattress on fire), but they can’t win us over.
In Select Theaters This Friday
