Film Review: The Dreamers (2003)
1968 student protests were the one of the most global events in world’s history, yet they nearly vanished from popular culture reference in recent decades. This might be explained with Boomers, their most enthusiastic participants, not coming to terms that the brave new world that they had struggled for, never came to pass and, more importantly, that they now represent exactly the same establishment they had rebelled against. One of the rare film makers not to be discouraged by this life-shattering realisation was Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, whose 2003 erotic drama The Dreamers was set at the very epicentre of 1968 protests.
The film is based on the eponymous 1988 novel by Scottish writer Gilbert Adair. The plot begins in Spring 1968 when an exchange student Matthew (played by Michael Pitt) arrives from California to Paris. He is deeply impressed by French culture and wants to soak everything in, especially cinema, which makes him frequent visitor to Cinémathèque Française. This coincides with French government deciding to sack its controversial director Henri Langlois, which causes displeasure among young cinephiles and protests that would gradually escalate in attempted revolution. During one of the protests Matthew meets two free-spirited twins with whom he shares passion for cinema – Isabelle (played by Eva Green) and Théo (played by Louis Garrell). They begin to spend time together and discuss favourite films and director before twins invite Matthew to join them in their apartment while their parents are away. Matthew agrees and soon realises that Isabelle and Théo play bizarre sexual games with each other, finally inviting Matthew to join them and engage in semi-incestuous *ménage à trois *. Matthew, who is attracted to Isabelle, agrees and trio begins to enjoy themselves, increasingly oblivious to the chaos that is slowly developing on the streets outside their apartment.
Bernardo Bertolucci is considered one of the greatest authors of Italian cinema. This reputation was mostly built on his 1970s film, which had pushed boundaries of on screen treatment of sexuality while at the same time expressed Bertolucci’s Marxist views. This amalgam of sexual liberation and left-wing radicalism perfectly corresponded with 1968 sentiments, and it isn’t surprising that Bertolucci, as one of the original representatives of the movement, returned to its symbolic source in a film that is drenching with nostalgia. The Dreamers, in which character of Matthew might serve as Bertolucci’s alter ego, tries to relive the days of his youthful exuberance, when everything seemed possible, every social norm was challenged and brave new world of progress, peace, social equality and freedom seemed just around the corner. Bertolucci does that by mixing discussions about politics with discussions about cinema, intercut with clips of the classic films and brief scenes when trio of protagonists tries to reconstruct them in one way or another. This approach, which is likely to be appreciated only by hard core cinephiles familiar with history of 20th Century cinema, is, however, compromised when Bertolucci apparently runs out of ideas and instead focuses on sex. Protagonists are played by young and attractive actors, they often appear nude and engage in sexual acts that are occasionally of less conventional variety. Bertolucci might have hoped that this would repeat the success of his ground-breaking 1972 erotic drama The Last Tango in Paris, which, for much of 1970s, used to be the synonym for the cinema’s new freedoms in depicting on screen sexuality. The times have, however, changed, and even hypocritical prudishness of American MPAA censors, which had stamped NC-17 rating on it, failed to make this film look really “edgy”. Screen erotica in the age of home video was already something quite different and The Dreamers looked too “artsy”, too artistically pretentious and, more importantly, dated. Its main task – fidning the balance between the intimate story of dysfunctional self-indulging protagonists and much grander process that goes behind their little world – wasn’t achieved. The Dreamers often looks like two different films stiched into one and Bertolucci’s use of stock documentary footage of 1968 events in Paris only makes his 2003 reconstruction look false. While the film features decent acting, nice set of period music and is directed in professional manner, it still represents a disappointment for all viewers who expected Bertolucci to return to his past glory.
RATING: 5/10 (+++)
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You made a nice portrait and an excellent description of Bertolucci, thank you;
I didn't like the film either.
I agree because I have noticed this in other directors as well: as the years go by, these Histrionic directors develop a sense of omnipotence that gives them the right to peddle us a cinema that only a few appreciate or understand.
This is just my impression of course.
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