Michel Franco
Dreams

It is well known that dreams can be fragile, ethereal. Certainly, one can have one or more dreams locked away that each of us would like to make come true. But moving from the world of dreams to reality is not exactly that easy...

Not to discourage anyone who wishes to improve their life circumstances, but the film "Dreams" serves as an effective reminder in this regard, while also touching on a variety of deep themes. Mexican director Michel Franco stages a drama that sparks various reflections in the attentive and sensitive viewer.

The protagonist is the young Fernando, a virtuosic Mexican dancer, who nurtures the dream of illegally emigrating to the USA to make it as an étoile in a dance company. On top of that, he would have a potential sponsor on site, namely his mature lover Jennifer who lives in San Francisco and is the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur, who is also the head of a philanthropic association devoted to assisting immigrant people gifted with artistic talents waiting to be fully expressed.

Fernando’s sudden arrival at Jennifer's house unsettles her quite a bit. And it’s not because his presence is unwelcome (far from it—the two are very passionate in their sexual encounters), but rather because their relationship has so far remained secret, only taking place when she travels to Mexico City to see him. With his arrival in San Francisco, it’s not easy to reconcile unrestrained love with her work commitments. The situation is objectively tense and complicated: Fernando is also hungry to succeed as a dancer, and for that purpose, marrying the beautiful yankee would also be helpful to get a Green card more easily. Jennifer, on the other hand, despite being dissatisfied with her previous sentimental life, also cares about her socioeconomic status (the allure of money is irresistible...). In short, her secret dream would be to keep her young lover in Mexico City, visiting him whenever possible to indulge herself and satisfy her healthy erotic desires.

The situation takes a turn for the worse as soon as Jennifer’s father and brother discover the affair. The father’s speech to his daughter is along the lines of, "it's fine to dedicate yourself to progressive causes, but what would people say about you in society if they found out you have a fiery Mexican lover? Even if you can't have children, it would be better if you found someone more suitable..." In other words, a true demonstration of sheer hypocrisy, a kind of fake charity that hardly conceals the atavistic racism of a certain social environment. Thus, while Fernando has already begun performing successfully with a dance company in San Francisco, one fine (?) morning immigration officers pick up the young man for the usual bureaucratic reasons involving a lack of proper documents, and send him back to Mexico (note that the film was shot in 2023, when Trump had not returned to the White House). It’s easy to guess who made the treacherous report to the authorities, and Jennifer’s hand is certainly involved—she prefers her passionate but manageable lover under the Mexican sky.

Sorry to disappoint die-hard romantics, but this story won’t have a happy ending, just to debunk the Latin saying "amor omnia vincit." And the way the story unfolds confirms the harsh outlook of the director (whose debut work "Despues de Lucia" was recommended to me) on the facts of life, very much in the manner of another director, Michael Haneke. Michel Franco also manages to be disturbing, as unexpected as a backhand slap in the face of an innocent passerby.

Interpersonal relationships are characterized by power dynamics—one either uses others or gets used. In the relationship between Jennifer and Fernando, spiced up by torrid lovemaking (well depicted by the director, who skillfully avoids crossing into pornography), it’s clear that Fernando fools himself into believing he is in a strong position. In truth, it’s Jennifer who manipulates her toy boy, discarding him like a Kleenex tissue when he turns violent and vengeful. Farewell, then, to dreams of glory, while the lady, in the role of a seductive praying mantis, can always replace him. Didn’t someone say "when a Pope dies, another one is elected"?