Kristoffer Borgli directs Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson and Michael Cera in this surreal satire where a depressed college professor begins showing up in many strangers’ dreams.

Ineffectual. Unproductive. Inert. A wonderful use of Cage the actor with strong Adaptation / The Weather Man vibes. It spends the second half exploring modern infamy and cancel culture. Once you realise where Borgli wants to go after such a fertile set-up, Dream Scenario can feel a little too pedestrian and rigid, even already a little dated. There is a telling running joke where the weakness in Cage and Nicholson’s marriage is betrayed by neither of them being able to talk about their day without lying. I like the eerie dream sequences, Cage puts in a full shift… I guess I just wanted this to go in a more potent direction. The final shot is a winner.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Next (2007)

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