The Dreamers
Directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Michael Pitt, Louis Garrel, Eva Green
Now Playing at: the Hi-Pointe Theater
Grade: B-

“The Dreamers” sets itself up to be the ultimate expression of art-house cool, but it tries too hard. Consider: a young American movie lover lost in the sea of 1960s Paris; discussion of film, art, and Communism; lots of sexy posturing and cigarette smoking, gratuitous nudity; and gorgeous cinematography. If that isn’t the formula for an art student favorite, I’ll eat my beret. Unfortunately, famed director Bernardo Bertolucci (“Last Tango in Paris,” “The Last Emperor”) can’t make his final product equal the sum of its parts. “The Dreamers” is awfully nice to look at, and its taboo themes will keep you intrigued, but a feeling of empty pretentiousness and exploitation mars the images of the characters’ beautiful naked figures.

The film is narrated by Matthew (Pitt), an American studying in France to escape Vietnam. He spends most of his times frequenting the theaters, where he soaks in all types of cinema-good and bad, new and old, gangster, Western, and musical, as he explains. During some of the famous demonstrations of ’68, Matthew meets fellow cinephiles Theo (Garrel) and Isabelle (Green). The two twins immediately take a liking to Matthew and invite him into their bourgeois home. When the parents leave on vacation, a hazy week of idle philosophizing and sexual exploration ensues.

This erotic aspect of the film has gotten the most press. And indeed, there are some graphic, if not downright shocking, scenes. We are slightly disturbed as Matthew spits into his palm to initiate a little private pleasure session while he writes his mother a letter. Later, in a scene that really initiates the film’s dark, incestuous side, Isabelle orders Theo to masturbate to a picture of Marlene Dietrich like the time “when he thought no one was watching.” When Theo obediently drops trou in front of Matthew and his own sister, the na‹ve American knows that something is amiss in this household. Viewers unaccustomed to menstrual blood should also be forewarned-”The Dreamers” contains not one but two instances of feminine bloodletting, and in one case the characters literally bathe in it.

These instances, along with numerous, NC-17-earning nude shots (all three actors go full frontal), give “The Dreamers” an unnecessary, exploitative edge. The intertwining relationships between Matthew, Theo, and Isabelle are the real themes of the film, so do we really need to see Isabelle peel off Matthew’s boxers to discover an awkwardly hidden photo of herself? What’s more important is Matthew’s realization that the two will never grow as long as they remain so childishly close to each other. He tries to take Isabelle on a proper date, but the evening turns into a disaster when Isabelle hears Theo occupied with another girl. The film is most interesting when Bertolucci examines these emotional ties rather than the characters’ various bodily orifices. Character development is still lacking, but it’s fascinating to watch Theo and Matthew debate Communism, which Theo imagines as a magnificent film epic with Chairman Mao directing a cast of millions while Matthew can only view it as another form of fascism. These political themes finally come to a head at the film’s conclusion, when Matthew must choose between pacifism or the famous Communist riots of ’68.

Although the film falters in some of its plot points, Bertolucci is still undeniably a great director. The camerawork and imagery are phenomenal: the twins’ book-crowded house is overflowing with all sorts of art-high, low, and even a mix, as a print of Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” with Marilyn Monroe’s face superimposed on it reveals. Other shots, such as when all three lovers lie in a bathtub with their faces reflected on separate mirrors, reinforce the film’s title and give it a dreamy, surreal feeling. Mainly, though, “The Dreamers” is Bertolucci’s tribute to making film and, just as importantly, loving film. The characters constantly quote cinema and test each other’s film trivia knowledge, while Bertolucci inserts actual footage from their favorites. When Isabelle describes her childhood, she claims her first words were “New York Herald-Tribune!”, and Bertolucci lovingly provides the clip from Godard’s classic “Breathless.” In another telling scene, Theo and Isabelle chant to Matthew, “We accept you, one of us,” a sly reference to “Freaks” that foreshadows the twins’ unusual personalities. It’s a reverent, although at times a bit too self-congratulatory, homage to one of the 20th century’s greatest contributions to art, and it shows just how much movies can affect everyday life.

Unfortunately, saluting movies and showering the viewer with beautiful imagery and nudity does not a good film make. Without proper plot and character development, this dream fades too quickly from memory, leaving us with only a few sublime images. It looks cool, and it feels like it should be cool, but sadly for Bertolucci and his trio of fresh-faced dreamers, it’s just not that cool.

Popularity: unranked [?]

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