Against the backdrop of two major American cities in New York and New Orleans, Garrett Bradley's Below Dreams is a meditative study of three unique characters, each struggling to support themselves and their families in post-recession America. After completing college, Elliott, a young 20-something, moves back in with his parents in Manhattan, growing increasingly frustrated with his inability to find purpose. Another story revolves around Leanne, an aspiring model/actress and single mother of four, who lives in New Orleans, struggling to find the balance between her career ambitions and her family. Lastly is Jermaine, a New Orleans native, who is marred by his past criminal record and struggling to find a form of legal employment. Garrett Bradley's Below Dreams is a film that is bound to frustrate some viewers, being very much a film that puts image and sound ahead of narrative, delivering a dream-like experience that viscerally captures the feeling of its characters, regardless of its meandering narrative. The narrative effortlessly drifts between its three protagonists, an approach that perfectly captures the character's state of unrest, individuals who are almost drifting through existence, trying to survive and reach their goals. Through these three characters, Below dreams touches on a host of issues like poverty, family vs. personal ambitions, race, and privilege, offering a host of interesting perspectives that don't gel into a cohesive narrative, but I'm not sure that is a problem. Below Dreams is essentially a fever dream, more intent on visually capturing the hopelessness felt in its characters. The film doesn't feel interested in providing answers or even questions, but instead capturing the environment and mood of its characters, individuals who feel trapped in their own lives. A tone poem to millennials, Below Dreams is an observant study of feeling and shattered dreams, being a film more interested in emotion than structure.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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