You had me at Nicolas Cage and A24. A collaboration I can’t believe has taken this long to happen but one that we certainly need more of in our lives. Cage seems work best when he’s challenged to expand on his now iconic presence in either wholly absurd or uniquely subdued ways. This dichotomy is best demonstrated in “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” where he’s completely in on his own joke and “Pig,” where he gives one of his best and most nuanced performances of his career. Enter “Dream Scenario,” one that manages to perfectly capture the absurdity of Cage’s performance without ever losing the captivating charm he can deliver in more everyman roles. “Dream Scenario” was another automatic must see heading into TIFF, and it was a highly coveted ticket that was even harder to come by so it had a lot of expectation to live up to. Thankfully, the Cage24 (coining this now) not only lived up to the hype but exceeded any all expectations one could have for something like this. “Dream Scenario” is a delightfully absurd, twisted, abstract satire of viral fame and cancel culture, and that pitfalls that can come when all of your dreams come true.
Written and Directed by Kristoffer Borgli (“Sick of Myself“) and produced by Ari Aster (which makes all the sense in the world) “Dream Scenario” tells the story of Biology professor Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) who inexplicably begins appearing in people’s dreams. The definition of average, Paul is the quintessential dorky dad, wholly unremarkable and instantly forgettable in just about every interaction he has. When he starts appearing in dreams on a massive (and soon global scale), he begins to fall in love with this new found attention and fame. A once faceless man is now the talk of the world, and against the caution of his wife and kids chooses to relish in his recognition. Like any dream of fame, it can quickly turn into a nightmare, and the longer Paul begins to appear in the collective mind, the darker the dreams become. Paul now finds himself being held responsible for what he does in other people’s dreams, and will soon learn that being seen comes at a very high cost. “Dream Scenario” also stars Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Baker and Dylan Gelula.
It must be said that “Dream Scenario” is perfectly A24, in that it embraces every aspect of its absurd and bizarre premise and isn’t afraid to get weird. The less I say about what happens in the film the better, as it works best when you are only armed with the most basic outline. “Dream Scenario” continues to demonstrate the power of experiment, allowing a relative newcomer like Borgli to take wild swings with all the confidence of a seasoned veteran. It helps that this is the studio’s wheelhouse, and one of the reasons they remain one of the most intriguing and unique studios in production today. It also helps that “Dream Scenario” has Cage at its core, who wholly embraces every single absurd twist and bizarre turn this story takes. He is both completely unhinged yet comically average, the perfect foil for a rise and fall story of unearned fame and meme culture. He is dialed in not just to the character and weirdness of the story, but also the deeper themes underneath the laugh out loud story that unfolds.
Borgli is clearly interested in dissecting our current cultural phenomenons like viral sensations, meme and cancel culture and how we view and interact with celebrities. The way he incorporates the cerebral surface to examine these themes is both hilarious and dark, with “Dream Scenario” shifting tones drastically without ever losing sight of what it’s trying to say. Some may argue it shifts a little too drastically; when I say wild swings I mean Borgli is trying to send the ball to the nose bleeds with every new idea that gets introduced. “Dream Scenario” is certainly a vibes pick, heavily reliant on how far you’re willing to let it take you. The strangeness of its premise and wildness of its execution is anchored by Cage’s performance, who’s unraveling and charm helps dial you in upfront so you can’t get off the train later when it starts speeding up with no brakes. It is filled with comedy but unafraid to dive head first into the dark horror elements when dreams turn to nightmares.
“Dream Scenario” is peak Cage and perfect A24, balancing the real and surreal to explore the influence of the unconscious mind that, whether we admit it or not, has a profound effect on our culture and human interaction transformed by the digitalization of our world. Borgli is very interested in these things, and while I don’t know that he is able to get all of them across in all of the right ways, “Dream Scenario” is able to nail most of them through an affecting lens of dark comedy and absurdity. And of course, the magical Nicolas Cage. Whatever you think about him, this is the kind of performance that can win over haters and strengthen the diehards. I’m the latter, and “Dream Scenario” is another example of Cage done right. The perfect part from the perfect studio for the perfect actor. It is ambitious, bold, absurd, dark, tragic and wildly entertaining, and you won’t be able to forget it any time soon. It has a lot to ponder and lot to remember, and will be a film that people will talk about for years to come.
And let’s be honest, there are worst things than have Nicholas Cage bouncing around in your dreams. “Dream Scenario” is a must see, and may end up being on the best films of the year. This is a huge recommendation from me, and while it may not be for everyone, who it is for are in for a treat that they will champion for a while and annoy their friends with “have you seen ‘Dream Scenario’ yet? What? YOU HAVEN’T?! Ok, let’s watch it right now!” Fair warning: that’s gonna be me, especially when A24 finally brings the film to wide release. And it’ll get worse when it comes to streaming at some point. It’s me. “Dream Scenario” is gonna turn me into that annoying friend. Like “Babylon” defenders but you know, for a film people can actually sit through and enjoy.
Oh, and “Dream Scenario” sports one of the best fart jokes I’ve seen in a film a very, very long time. Like, fall over in your chair with tears from the uncontrollable laughter kind of fart joke. That’s cinema, baby.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Dream Scenario is in select theaters Nov. 10th. You can watch the trailer below.
