‘Dream Scenario’ Review – People Are Dreaming Of Cage In Clever Dark Comedy [TIFF 2023]

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Dreaming of Nicolas Cage? Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself, Drib) certainly is. The Norwegian filmmaker’s latest satirical romp, Dream Scenario, is a smart examination of fame, perception, self-image, and reversals of fortune, delving into the internet’s power over the collective unconscious. Borgli masterfully skewers social callousness towards human suffering while exposing the harsh realities of virality.

Borgli’s Kaufman-esque English-language debut for A24 is a surrealist black comedy and cautionary tale of an incredibly unremarkable man: Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage). His lackluster character is emphasized by his drab attire, courtesy of costume designer Natalie Bronfman. He’s an unkempt, balding, Steve Urkel-like university professor who has spent years lecturing students about herd mentality and collective consciousness. In one of Paul’s lectures, he discusses the idea of camouflage among Zebras. The purpose of their stripes, he informs us, isn’t to blend in with Mother Earth, but to help them vanish into the crowd, perfectly encapsulating Paul’s own approach to life.

Out of the blue, a strange phenomenon occurs: Paul begins appearing in people’s dreams – just strolling by or standing idly off to the side – an on-the-nose caricature of his general uselessness. It starts small; bumping into an ex-girlfriend who cannot fathom why Paul has suddenly infiltrated her subconscious brain night after night. And then, virtually overnight, Paul begins appearing in the minds of countless others, transforming him from an invisible everyman to a viral living meme.

His university classes are suddenly crammed with eager students, publications want to interview him, and strangers are keen on sharing their (often hilarious) dreams. Just picture a bearded Cage standing nonchalantly on the sidelines while a dreamer fails to escape the clutches of a bloody demon. It is moments like these that have producer Ari Aster’s DNA all over it.

The film never strives to explain the phenomenon. What was the catalyst for Paul invading strangers’ dreams? And why isn’t everyone susceptible to his unexplained appearances? Like in Adaptation or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, however, the intent here is to observe how the characters respond in the face of such a mind-blogging ordeal, begging viewers to question what they would do if they were in Paul’s terribly bland loafers.

He’s married with two girls and tenured at his university, but he has always wanted more – namely, to be published. His initial bafflement over the situation turns into delight over the newfound attention. He opts to stoke his growing infamy as a way to publish his yet-to-be-written book on insect psychology (ant-telligence, to be more specific).

As Paul’s appearance in people’s dreams begins to mutate into something more sinister, however, the academic receives a mortifying lesson on the fickleness of fame and the degradation required to sustain it. One woman (Dylan Gelula) who works for Paul’s new marketing partner, “Thoughts?,” entices him to reenact one of her nightly sex dreams together – an emotionally vulnerable moment for Cage – while others recount the nightmarishly violent turn Paul has taken in their dreams. In the blink of an eye, Paul’s revered celeb status turns toxic. The dean of his university (Tim Meadows) places him on temporary suspension, strangers are hostile towards him, the word “LOSER” is graffitied across his car, and he becomes a complete pariah. Paul is horrified to discover that his once-adoring fans are judging him based on his actions in their dreams in lieu of his real-life actions in their waking life.

Borgli expertly marries satire, horror, and a touch of sardonicism to take a swipe at cancel culture and the ugliness of a society that bases its worth on perceived exposure. Towards the end of the film, he introduces a new (read: horrifying) technology that allows influencers to advertise products by projecting themselves into people’s dreams. The idea serves as another comment from Borgli on our social media-obsessed world and the way in which influencers and content feed on our minds like a parasite – occupying our lives for a fleeting moment in time before being discarded or even vilified.

Cage serves as the perfect average Joe to humanize this all-too-common spectacle that has somehow become engrained into our everyday lives. Supported by a strong cast, including Julianne Nicholson as Paul’s wife, Michael Cera as the head of the “Thoughts” marketing agency, and Dylan Gelula whose having erotic dreams of Paul, this feels like another memorable role for Cage alongside recent work like Pig and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

Dream Scenario is incredibly timely and will leave audience members with a lot to mull over as they head out of the theater.

Dream Scenario held its World Premiere as part of the Platform section at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. The film will be released in theaters November 10, 2023 courtesy of A24. 

Director: Kristoffer Borgli

Writer: Kristoffer Borgli

Rated: R

Runtime: 100m