The Dreamers (****)
review by Jon Waterman

An American student studies in Paris. He frequents the local movie house not only because he has no friends in this foreign country, but also to further his love of cinema. Two other regulars, brother and sister, notice him and befriend him. Their sanctuary gets shut down as the student riots of 1968 commence. With no other place to go, they stay inside and get to know each other and form a bond unlike any other, but is it getting to be too much and too close?

This is a film that embraces film. It increases the audience’s awareness of the medium in multiple ways. To start, the three leads immerse themselves in what they watch. They play games and test each other’s knowledge. The audience is shown clips of the referenced films to show us how obscure they are and how picture perfect they recreate the scenes. I’d be surprised if seeing their passion on the screen doesn’t spark some interest in classic cinema. Also, because film is such an integral part of their lives, we become more aware of what we see on the screen. Being conscious of the camera and the lighting does not detract from the experience. Instead, it aids in the understanding of the characters and reinforces the brilliance of itself. It’s a film that embraces film, but a movie pushes away from conventional movie tactics.

There are four main characters in the film. There’s the American boy Matthew (Michael Pitt), the sister Isabelle (Eva Green in her debut), the brother Theo (Louis Garrel) and the camera. Director Bernardo Bertolucci (“Last Tango in Paris”) does a great job in keeping everyone’s curiosity level high. The camera acts as a shier version of Matthew’s character during the first part of the film. When he walks down the hall, the camera follows. It goes where he does, but only after he’s already been there. As Matthew’s inhibitions drop, so do the camera’s and we are let in to their world. In addition, the lighting enhances the mood. The shadows that cut across their face and bodies reinforce their emotions. It is masterful filmmaking.

What I enjoyed most about the movie was the relationships between the three. Writer Gilbert Adair has created incredibly complex human beings and placed them in a two-hour movie. There is no way an audience can fully understand one of these people even separately before the film ends, let alone all three…let alone all three of them together. The inner workings of the ways in which they relate are unusual and fascinating to watch. By the end, you still get a sense of completion as far as the story goes, but it’s impossible to get closure on everything you’ve seen. It’s an unusual way to go about things. Not everything is explained or rationalized. I feel this works very well. It makes these characters more real and more tangible. More human.

This film is amazing. It’s incredibly smart and well thought out. Its structure could have been tightened some, but it’s still enthralling. The emotional impact doesn’t truly resonate, because it’s more like watching a train wreck. However, it is a wonderful piece of cinema and its NC-17 rating should not detract anyone (besides children) from seeing this fantastic movie.

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