Dreams

Dreams, 2025, 1 ½ stars

Minimalist Dreams

Understated erotic drama fails to catch fire

Exclusive to MeierMovies, February 24, 2026

This month we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of master storyteller Richard Matheson, who will be born in 1926. Among many other intellectual dares, he challenged us to ponder “what dreams may come.”

Mexican writer-director Michel Franco (After Lucia, Memory) has seemingly taken up this challenge by naming his new erotic drama Dreams. Regrettably, his answer is apparently: none of consequence.

The dreams in question are those of Fernando, a stunningly talented but inexperienced ballet dancer who has the misfortune of being an illegal immigrant to the United States. But he has one advantage that no other Mexican emigrant has likely ever had: He is involved in an illicit affair with a wealthy and powerful San Francisco socialite.

How the affair developed and blossomed is vague and hard to swallow, like most of the film. Jennifer McCarthy (Jessica Chastain) met Fernando (Isaac Hernández, a real ballet dancer) through her philanthropic work with the arts in Mexico and became sexually besotted. But why Fernando would risk death to cross the border to be with Jennifer and further his potential career in America when his life in Mexico is actually not that bad, at least in comparison to the typical emigrant, is never made clear.

Also puzzling is why Jennifer would allow her boy toy to risk his life when she seemingly has the power and influence to bring him to California legally, at least temporarily. Simply implying that the affair is awkward and should therefore be kept a secret (while referencing a previous deportation) is just not enough to explain the film’s setup or add much to the ongoing national conversation on immigration. And though the issues involving immigration are huge, this story feels small, with supporting actors Rupert Friend (Jennifer’s brother) and Marshall Bell (Jennifer’s father) adding litte.

One thing that is crystal clear is the two characters have sexual chemistry, at least on the page. Passionate, nearly explicit scenes prove it, as do the carnal, but laughable, banter about ball sucking. But, surprisingly, both the relationship and the film remain cold and flat, with dialed-in performances, moderated tones, medium shots and an almost total lack of music and close-ups. Imbued with a slice-of-life stillness, Dreams eventually builds to a brutal conclusion that runs counter to that previous stillness. But boring and misleading an audience for 90 minutes to eventually make a powerful political and social statement is just plain cruel. And that cruelty is not salved by the Chastain and Hernández eye candies.

Speaking of cruelty, we eventually get a glimpse into the heart of Jennifer, who, despite her surface passion, apparently never considered Fernando her equal and, ultimately, does what she must to protect her station. So maybe Franco does have an answer to Matheson after all: broken ones.

© 2026 MeierMovies, LLC

For more information on the movie, visit IMDB and Wikipedia. The film premiered at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival and has since played festivals around the world in addition to receiving limited theatrical releases. It will finally receive a wide release in the United States on February 27, 2026.