What if dreams aren’t random? What if not only could you control your dreams, but you were the god of your own dream world? Every night, you can explore anything, anywhere, with anyone, and with only the shortest of guardrails. That’s not exactly the plot Forever Danieladirector Nacho Vigarando’s new film, but it’s a big part of it, and the conceit opens some fascinating and heartbreaking doors.
Vigalando (who created time crime and huge), known for matching big, high-concept ideas with visuals, and Forever Daniela Follow suit. Nicholas (Henry Golding) is a DJ whose artist girlfriend Daniela (Beatrix Grano) dies in a tragic accident. The loss left him heartbroken until he began receiving new treatments that allowed him to cope by controlling his dreams. He should do what the doctor tells him, but instead he goes his own way and immediately tries to be with Daniela as much as possible while controlling every detail.
How does it work? Well, Vigalando puts us in Nicolás’s shoes and lets us discover with him the rules of this world. Soon, he realizes what boundaries are and are not, and all the possibilities of transcending them. In the real world, Nicholas begins to change for the better because in his dream world, he returns to the woman he loves. But everyone, from Nicholas to the viewers watching, knows this won’t last forever, and it adds a layer of fear over everything else.
To capture these dual worlds, Vigarando shoots reality with Betamax (yes, 40-50 year old video technology) and dreams with modern cameras, creating a huge visual divide. Like Nicholas, we prefer dreams simply because they look better and feel more comfortable. This in turn creates a near-resistance to reality that further draws us into Nicholas’ situation. It’s a very clear, unique choice, but modern audiences may not enjoy watching a movie that looks like a TV series from 50 years ago.
Still, the influence of the dream world more than makes up for it. Forever Daniela No budget like Christopher Nolan Inceptionbut it does its best to make the dream equally special and unique, especially when Nicholas realizes his power in the world. He becomes a pseudo-superhero there, which leads to some really cool moments, but also starts to raise red flags about his dream relationship with the late Daniela.
After giving us a series of scenarios, relationships and moral dilemmas to think about, Forever Daniela It was definitely a bit difficult to finally bring it all together. The direction the story is taking is effective, but not as clear as the rest of the film. Still, this is an excellent film that uses a big and exciting idea to explore the nature of love, loss, melancholy, joy, and more. It’s a very personal, very special film, and one of Vigalando’s best films.
Forever Daniela It was recently played at Fantastic Fest 2024, but a release date has yet to be confirmed.
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