Director: KRISTOFFER BORGLI
100 mins, USA, 2023, Digital
Timid professor Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) feels the recognition he craves has arrived when he begins appearing in other people’s dreams in Kristoffer Borgli’s sharp, funny, and insightful interrogation of masculinity, cancel culture, social media, and the allure of celebrity. The phenomenon starts at home when Paul’s daughter has a recurring dream wherein her father observes an escalating catastrophe from the sidelines; soon he is passively appearing in the dreams of his students, friends, and strangers. As his celebrity blossoms, Paul is courted by tech guru Trent (Michael Cera). Meanwhile, he tries to leverage his newfound fame to secure a book deal for a long-gestating work on evolutionary biology. But everything changes when Paul’s benign dream projections take on a more sinister tone. Produced by Ari Aster, Borgli’s inventive film builds on the promise of last year’s Sick of Myself.
There will be Open Captioned screenings at 13.10 on Monday 13th and at 18.20 on Thursday 16th.
Notes by David O’Mahony