The line between dream and reality has been explored umpteen times in films over the decades. For troubled soul Janet, the dreamscapes shaping her well-being come to the fore in Andy Field and Deborah Pearson‘s indie psychological drama DREAM AGENCY.
Situated at a cliffside beach with her civil partner Beatrice in bridal attire, Janet has doubts about the choices she is faced with as she receives a piece of bone which Beatrice says could be made into a necklace if sculpted right. She is part of a rural commune that has embraced her and tends to deal with a reality between abstract and surreal. Inevitably, the desire to follow the more traditional human desires begins to impact on Janet’s well-being.
Whether it is being a servant in a period dinner scene or running as part of a pack of dogs wearing a dog mask on the beach, Janet’s own sense of belonging begins to be impacted by the consequences of visualising your dreams and what it truly means to be living in dreamland….
Left-field and surrealist fantasy drama, if that’s one definition I could tender towards you, which comes across like Lars Von Trier collaborating with David Lynch. Audiences will certainly start to think where this is going when at one point a discussion about the relationship between bladders and dreams comes into play (I kid you not!).
Overall, the experience of watching DREAM AGENCY can come across as a little idiosyncratic and wanting, which is probably why it does retain the attention due to you wanting and wondering where the narrative is taking you. Of all the offerings on show at LIFF 2023, this is probably the weirdest on offer. Still, films are made to cater for all mindsets, sensitivities and tastes. If you are keen to find a film that explores concepts and ideas against a canvas of non-specifics, then this film will probably be right up your street.
The London Independent Film Festival runs from 14th – 23rd April 2023.
For tickets and info, please go to:Â
https://genesiscinema.co.uk/GenesisCinema.dll/WhatsOn?pg=4&sp=4
For more on the festival, please go to:
