Dreams Movie Review

“Dreams” is a movie that examines the way people deal with borders. These are physical borders, such as between countries. It can also include borders between wealthy people and the lower classes. But especially borders between doing what is right for people, and doing what feels good.

On one side is a woman born into fabulous wealth, who is living in San Francisco. Her name is Jennifer McCarthy (played by Jessica Chastain). She is well-connected and loves being in charge of a foundation that funds ‘The Arts’. Her father, Michael McCarthy (played by Marshall Bell), has made countless millions, and pumps a lot of lot of money to this charity.

Her brother, Jake McCarthy (played by Rupert Friend), sees to his dad’s many corporations. He keeps a close watch over the Arts foundation. But he gives a free rein to Jennifer and what she wants to support. In terms of being the nicest guy in town, Jake is usually not in the running.

Jennifer has a major amount donated to a dance academy in Mexico City. She will spend a lot of time down there to assess the growth. That is where she had met her major crush. He is a trained dancer named Fernando Rodriguez (played by Isaac Hernández). He is talented and young. He also knows how to satisfy Jennifer, in very intimate ways.

Jennifer cannot stay down in Mexico forever. She leaves and goes back home. Fernando has the idea to idea to leave Mexico and get into the States. Of course, he does not have a legal way to do that. But that does not stop him.

Once he gets across the border, he heads over to San Francisco. He and Jennifer have some passionate make-up time. This does not refer to Maybelline. Jennifer does not want Fernando to be seen in public too much. They kept their love tryst secret, but this does not sit well with Fernando.

He likes to have a Sugar Mama. But he also wants to pursue his dreams of being a dancer. Fernando decides that he has had enough. He leaves Jennifer behind, because he does not want to be her little ‘boy toy’. He finds places to work — off the books. He does not have proper documentation to get a real job.

Jennifer gets Fernando a temporary job at the local dance academy. She funds the academy, so she can get what she wants. What she wants is to have Fernando back, so they can pick up on the pace. She wants her best ‘boy toy’ so they can do the Horizontal Mambo.

Her brother Jake stops by one day at her home. He sees Jennifer there with Fernando. Once he tells their father, Michael, they both get worried. Jennifer might be opening up a scandal at Foundation, and her involvement with an undocumented dancer might cause issues.

Jennifer is told to end this affair. She tells Fernando, and he does not want to stop. He is perfectly fine with his current job. But the next day, there is an unexpected visit. The Immigration Control people come and pick up Fernando. He gets deported and sent back to Mexico.

Fernando thinks that Jennifer’s father or brother had turned him in. They wanted Jennifer to focus on their Foundation. They did not want type of disturbing news to come out. Jennifer, of course, has another place in Mexico City. She goes there to – again – find Fernando.

He comes over her place in Mexico City. She pleads with him to stay there. She is ready to make the dance academy in Mexico her focus. She will be there for most of the year. She will only need to leave a few weeks out of the year.

Jennifer comes out and tells Fernando the truth. It was not her father who informed ICE about him. It was not her brother. It was her; she was the one who got Fernando deported. She wanted to have him for herself. But not in the San Francisco area. Somebody might find out.

At this point, it all changes. Fernando locks her away, in her own house. He is brutal and abuses Jennifer in very cruel ways. She is despondent and wants nothing to do with him. Fernando was once her personal little stud. Now he is a creepy villain, keeping her as his hostage.

After a few weeks, her brother Jake finds out where she is. He comes down to Mexico City with a few tough henchmen. After Jennifer is released, she and Jake drive away. Fernando is left in the care of some thugs. These guys never learned that ‘break a leg’ is not a literal saying…

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“Dreams” is movie that must have been a work of passion for the Writer/Director. Michel Franco honestly believes he has something significant to say. But it must have been lost in the translation. There is the barest of bones for this story. Not much meat hangs out for sake of the plot. But there are scenes where there is a lot of skin…

Jessica Chastain is excellent, but this role is not really very good. She becomes a typical spoiled rich girl, who needs the things she wants. There is not much else for her character motivation. She is always ready to devote all to the slim role.

Isaac Hernández is fine, and his most defined character trait is that he is a talented dancer. But is difficult to carry that dancing talent over to the ability to act. The chemistry between Hernández and Chastain seems pretty weak. The times where get have intense session of love-making, it feel a little bit forced.

There is not much that propels the script forward. Some may call that a measured pace. Some may call it deliberate actions based on slow-rising emotion. But many might just say it is just slow. The way the characters change towards the end, especially Fernando, does not seem realistic.

“Dreams” is a movie that seems to want to make a significant point about something. But it will take some time to figure out what that point is supposed to be…