The film begins in a, how can I say, strange way. Very strange. We see Nicolas Cage, the protagonist, in his home park when things start falling from the sky. No, she is not a cow like in A Chinese Tale, but faced with the danger of what would be her daughter, the character does nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Paul Matthews is an ordinary man, with a routine life. And if he thinks she was boring, it’s better not to know what happened to her on a good (or bad) day.
Paul is a teacher, he teaches classes, and from one moment to the next he finds out that he appears in other people’s dreams. The first people to tell him are close friends (an ex, one of his students), but very soon Paul materializes in the dreams (better, nightmares) of thousands of people, who had had no relationship with him.
How is it possible?
Everything expands when the media and the Internet begin to spread the news. Paul begins to acquire a fame that he did not ask for, which he denies but which he embraces to get a marketing company, which sees in him a business to grow, to publish a book that he has always wanted to write.
Things get complicated when Paul’s passive role in the dreams becomes active. And in the worst way: as a Freddy Kruegerof Nightmare deep in the nightPaul violently hurts or rapes those who dream of him… For now, in his dreams.
If before he did not help people from catastrophes, attacks or monsters, now he is the synonym for danger.
The plot of The man of dreams It seems to have emerged from minds like Charlie Kaufman or Spike Jonze. But no, it is from the Norwegian Kristoffer Borgli, who passed through the Cannes Festival with his previous film and with this one he achieved a Golden Globe nomination for best comedy actor for his protagonist, Nicolas Cage.
It is already known that Cage is reborn and sinks in his career, and that he says yes to all the scripts that are offered to him out of a need for money (he was scammed by his accountant, a few years ago). But the script The man of dreams There’s nothing wrong.
Yes it is original, like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind o The orchid thief, in which Cage starred. Borgli adds a twist to the story when Paul, in the nightmares, is aggressive. In his inner circle, no one wants to have anything to do with him, and they even prevent him from going to an event in which his daughter will perform.
But The man of dreams It is more comedy than horror film, with some hilarious situations. The absurd will soon take over the plot, apart from the criticism of the media and a sick society, fearful of what it does not know or understand.
Somewhat bald and bearded, Nicolas Cage has perhaps never played comedy like he does here. He is clearly the victim of the film, a production as provocative as it is ambitious.
“The man of dreams”
Comedy/horror. United States, 2023. Original title: “Dream Scenario”. 102′, SAM 13 R. Of: Kristoffer Borgli. Con: Nicolas Cage, Lily Bird, Julianne Nicholson, Dylan Baker. Salas: Hoyts Abasto, Cinemark Palermo, Cinépolis Recoleta, Avellaneda and Pilar, Showcase Belgrano and Haedo.