The several opening scenes of "Dream scenario" seem confusing but soon string together to make sense. Be warned: the very, very first sound from this movie is a huge "bang", coming from nowhere as we watch what looks a silent movie (except for the soothing color palette) where Paul (Nicholas Cage) is raking fallen leaves around a backyard swimming pool. Relaxing in a lawn chair is a teenage girl. Then comes this nerve-wrecking dint which sends the girl into a state of panic, screaming out for "dad" to help. Paul, however, carries on as if nothing is happening as his daughter Sophie (Lily Bird) floats higher and higher into the air from her lawn chair. A dream, of course.
To cut a long story short, we witness Paul popping up in more and more people's dreams, with a common denominator: he is a nonchalant bystander, strolling past with an annoyingly disinterested glance at the direction of the event taking place. No matter how desperate the dreamer, how devastating the event, Paul doesn't care. The Paul in their dreams, that is.
Other than this mysterious dream situation, Paul personifies "unremarkable". He is a professor. This profession, while respectable, does not necessarily exempt him from being unremarkable. He is an ordinary man, with an "everyday" family, a role-model wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) and two teenage daughters, aforementioned Sophia and Hannah (Jessica Clement).
The aforementioned "several opening scenes" include meeting two women, separately, both his past acquaintances. One is scheduled, the other by chance. Sheila is in the publishing circle and Paul is very interested in having his book published, one he hasn't even really started writing. Claire, he used to date. Paul and Janet happen to run into her after a play. Claire (like a lot of other people later revealed) finds Paul in her dream recently. Her "incident" was one in which she was trying to get help for a friend seriously injured in a traffic accident as Paul walked by casually. The two meet up again, and Janet is not exactly pleased, quite expectedly. Romantic reconnection however is not something to worry about. Claire is asking for permission to mention Paul in her blog. Probably out of politeness, Paul gives his consent. That may or may not be the reason why he all of a sudden gets viral. Cause and effect are often difficult to determine. Maybe people seeing him in social media start to dream about him. But these people's mentioning him in their social media sets up a global tidal effect.
Paul is initially pleased. However, commercialism soon raises its ugly head, as a cutting-edge corporation tries to get him doing ads of Sprite. His sole interest, poor man, is to get his book published, which will hopefully bring him the recognition he deserves. But then things begin to turn ugly, when the harmless bystander Paul in people's dream transforms into a violent, terrifying character. Dream turn into nightmares. Unfortunately for Paul, his nightmares are in his real life.
Cage seems to want to take a break from the habitual big pay checks to take up this challenging role, and meets the challenge successfully. His portrayal of the innocence in Paul is pitch perfect, an ordinary person sadly in need of recognition and get something he has not bargained for - becoming a memes.
There is a good support character as well. Michael Cera shines as the disgusting advertising guru. Tim Meadows is solid as the role he portrays is, Paul's department head who is firmly grounded on common sense. Best, however, is Dylan Gelula, a young woman half Paul's age who finds Paul in her erotic dreams. The scene in which she tries to get him play out her dream with her in real life is something you won't want to miss.
To cut a long story short, we witness Paul popping up in more and more people's dreams, with a common denominator: he is a nonchalant bystander, strolling past with an annoyingly disinterested glance at the direction of the event taking place. No matter how desperate the dreamer, how devastating the event, Paul doesn't care. The Paul in their dreams, that is.
Other than this mysterious dream situation, Paul personifies "unremarkable". He is a professor. This profession, while respectable, does not necessarily exempt him from being unremarkable. He is an ordinary man, with an "everyday" family, a role-model wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) and two teenage daughters, aforementioned Sophia and Hannah (Jessica Clement).
The aforementioned "several opening scenes" include meeting two women, separately, both his past acquaintances. One is scheduled, the other by chance. Sheila is in the publishing circle and Paul is very interested in having his book published, one he hasn't even really started writing. Claire, he used to date. Paul and Janet happen to run into her after a play. Claire (like a lot of other people later revealed) finds Paul in her dream recently. Her "incident" was one in which she was trying to get help for a friend seriously injured in a traffic accident as Paul walked by casually. The two meet up again, and Janet is not exactly pleased, quite expectedly. Romantic reconnection however is not something to worry about. Claire is asking for permission to mention Paul in her blog. Probably out of politeness, Paul gives his consent. That may or may not be the reason why he all of a sudden gets viral. Cause and effect are often difficult to determine. Maybe people seeing him in social media start to dream about him. But these people's mentioning him in their social media sets up a global tidal effect.
Paul is initially pleased. However, commercialism soon raises its ugly head, as a cutting-edge corporation tries to get him doing ads of Sprite. His sole interest, poor man, is to get his book published, which will hopefully bring him the recognition he deserves. But then things begin to turn ugly, when the harmless bystander Paul in people's dream transforms into a violent, terrifying character. Dream turn into nightmares. Unfortunately for Paul, his nightmares are in his real life.
Cage seems to want to take a break from the habitual big pay checks to take up this challenging role, and meets the challenge successfully. His portrayal of the innocence in Paul is pitch perfect, an ordinary person sadly in need of recognition and get something he has not bargained for - becoming a memes.
There is a good support character as well. Michael Cera shines as the disgusting advertising guru. Tim Meadows is solid as the role he portrays is, Paul's department head who is firmly grounded on common sense. Best, however, is Dylan Gelula, a young woman half Paul's age who finds Paul in her erotic dreams. The scene in which she tries to get him play out her dream with her in real life is something you won't want to miss.