Dreamland
By Tara McNamara,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Eccentric, violent vampire crime tale has drugs, language.
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Dreamland
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What's the Story?
In DREAMLAND, a crime lord's henchman (Stephen McHattie) realizes the error of his ways when his human trafficker boss (Henry Rollins) abducts his teenage neighbor (Themis Pauwels) to sell to a vampire. He hatches a plan to save her, even if it kills him.
Is It Any Good?
As this eccentric neo-noir vampire crime story's title indicates, it unfolds similarly to a dream: unpredictable, confusing, and frustrating. More like a fever dream, considering that gangsters are children, a countess is hosting a lavish wedding for her vampire brother, and the dreamer can be injured but never die. It's an intense experience that you're desperate to interpret as soon as it's over -- what does it all mean? -- but with so much nonsense, most viewers likely won't care enough to think it through. Still, there's always the chance that Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald's film is destined to be a cult classic.
The movie's unreliable tone shocks the system as it switches from dead-serious drama to off-kilter comedy. McHattie is a hard-boiled henchman whose crime lord boss ordered him to cut the pinkie off of a legendary trumpeter (also McHattie), a cool customer who's also a junkie. The actions of these characters are always serious, and should be -- especially given that the henchman realizes he's doing the bidding of a deplorable criminal who profits by sex-trafficking children. But that boss, gleefully played by Rollins, is maniacal, ridiculous, and, at times, hilarious. The lizard-looking vampire (Tómas Lemarquis) is creepy yet also feels straight out of What We Do in the Shadows. Juliette Lewis supplies the film's energy as an over-the-top countess who delivers her dialogue so crisply and comically that it makes you rethink the entire film. Care clearly went into the color-saturated production design, which is paired so elegantly with moody cinematography that many shots are works of art. None of it makes any sense ... unless it does. Figuring out what this film is trying to say seems possible, yet elusive. Just like a dream.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Dreamland plays with genre, tone, and cliché. What genres can you identify? Do you think it's creative or confusing?
What do you think the film's intent is? What's the takeaway message -- or is there one?
Do you think this film could turn into a cult classic? What are the hallmarks of those films?
Discuss the use of drugs/drinking/smoking, violence, profanity, and even the limited nudity in the film. Is any of it glamorized? Does it serve the story?
Do you think Johnny is demonstrating compassion or courage to save Olivia? Would you qualify it as a character strength if those traits only come out at the end of an otherwise immoral life?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 5, 2020
- Cast: Stephen McHattie, Juliette Lewis, Henry Rollins
- Director: Bruce McDonald
- Studio: Uncork'd Entertainment
- Genre: Thriller
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 92 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 2, 2023
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