The Dreamers (7/10 Rating)

Released February 20, 2003

For rent/purchase on all major platforms.

Genre: Drama, History, Sport

NC-17: Explicit sexual content

1h 55m

            If you jumped right into this review and did not read the MPAA rating, I am going to start by stating that this movie is rated NC-17 and earns it for some very explicit sexual content. While not similar films overall, the scenes that lead to this rating remind me a lot of Amazon Prime’s recent trending film Saltburn. If you were uncomfortable with that movie, you’ll find similar moments here. Still with me? This is a great film from late Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris, The Last Emperor, Stealing Beauty) Set during the 1968 Paris student riots, the movie follows a young American cinephile studying in Paris. He befriends a local brother and sister who invite him to stay with them in their grand Paris home while their parents are away for a month. Full of film references from the silent era and the golden age, the trio mirrors famous scenes throughout the movie as they embrace the freedom of being young and exploring the transition to adulthood together. The backdrop of the Paris student riots provides a reality for both the film itself and its characters. Louis Garrel (Little Women 2019) and Eva Green (Casino Royale, Penny Dreadful) are incredible as twins that may be a little too close. Michael Pitt manages to keep up and this movie could be a very different viewing experience with a less talented cast. This is Eva Green’s first credited role, but an Academy Award nomination would have been well deserved. You’ll find yourself uncomfortable at times, but life is uncomfortable and sometimes it can be refreshing to uncover what many of us would rather keep hidden through the characters shown on screen. While you may not relate to the more extreme scenes, you may find yourself remembering a time in your youth before reality set in and you were free to dream. There is an R-Rated version available, but not much is toned down. Either way, if you want to find this Movie You Missed you’ll have to find a physical copy.

Also released in February 2004: Club Dread, Eurotrip, The Passion of the Christ, Miracle , Barbershop 2: Back in Business, 50 First Dates, The Lion King 1 ½, Highwaymen, Twisted (follow @jlucia85 for these reviews and more)