The latest effort by Bernardo Bertolucci, "The Dreamers," is a provocative tour de force of sexual energy and liberation. What are we saying?This film is purely about sex, nudity, "twincest" and rock 'n' roll.Well, not actually rock 'n' roll, but you get the picture.
Matthew, played by Michael Pratt ("Murder By Numbers" and "Changing Lanes"), is a foreign exchange student in Paris, where he meets a set of sexy twins with his same passions for classic cinema. This sultry duo, Isabelle (Eva Green) and Theo (Louis Garrel), seduce and eventually take Matthew under their wings and invite him into their fabulous Parisian apartment.
The result, to some of your likings, is sex, sex and more sex -- sex between Matthew and Isabelle, sexual relations between Isabelle and Theo, and, if that's not enough to satiate your libido, sexual tension between Theo and Matthew. Yes, you guessed it, this evocative movie centers around the classic menage a trois.
"The Dreamers" takes place in the tumultuous era of the late 1960s, when violence permeated the streets of Paris because of the Vietnam War. This trio, however, focuses their energies on classic films and themselves. Matthew, Theo and Isabelle are dreamers enraptured with cinema and their own conceptions of reality.
Theo and Isabelle are raised with the purist notions of never watching television, never dating and never exploring the world outside of the cinema. Instead of actually experiencing all that life has to offer, they instead occupy themselves with themselves. In fact, Theo and Isabelle sleep in the same bed together, bathe together and even watch each other pleasure themselves.
The central actors are all believable and are more than willing to unveil their bodies for the screen. Pratt, as the American ingénue, portrays his innocence and naiveté through Matthew's astonishment of apparent French customs. But eventually, as the film progresses, his French and his behaviors began to mature. He is no longer the innocent American bystander, for he is now fully engaged in the Parisian rendezvous.
Green and Garrel also prove that they are more than just pretty faces. They hold their own in this sultry and slightly voyeuristic foray. Not only do they provide the eye candy, they also evoke an alluring intelligence that betrays their conflicted political ideologies. All in all, the combination of these young cast members' unabashed sexual freedom and compelling sincerity is truly noteworthy.
The most remarkable aspect of "The Dreamers" is Bertolucci's direction. His subjects immerse themselves in cinema. It is therefore only logical that Bertolucci, himself, should mimic the films that these characters so emulate and admire. When his characters act onscreen, he inserts snippets or actual footage from classic films, and it is amazing how seamlessly the two intertwine and transition.
But really, this movie is about sex. There really isn't any plot or thematic development, unless you consider differing sexual positions as thematic development. Consequently, "The Dreamers" was slapped with the vicious NC-17 rating, the kiss of death for American cinema.
Maybe, though, we aren't giving this movie enough credit. It did captivate our attention for a good two hours, and we were actively engaged, not only in the sex parts, but also throughout the rest of the film. "The Dreamers" offered some thought provoking human dilemmas of life and existence that were genuinely honest and intriguing.
Although the film definitely merited the NC-17 distinction, it is not as vulgar as the label might suggest. With the reluctance of American theaters to showcase NC-17 films, "The Dreamers," unfortunately, will probably find an extremely narrow audience.
In totality, the film proved to be more complex than meets the eye. While the relatively limited plot movement left something to be desired, the film does produce a captivating whole. This is not some silly, raunchy sex comedy, or drama, for that manner. Bertolucci has some thought-provoking things to say about the impact of cinema and how it becomes interwoven in daily life.
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