Via Dreams is a definite head trip.
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Via Dreams is interesting because it is never clear what is real or who is of their right mind. Interesting concept, but very low budget.
Written by James “Crypticpsych” Lasome
July 25, 2011
Movie Trailer
Image Gallery
Release: 2011 (Festival Play)
Written and Directed by: Rodney Wess
Starring:
Ann M. Lynn as Claudia Smith
Harris Michaels as Roland Smith
Aya McDonald as Tammy
J. Michael Sterling as Tom
One night, Claudia and Roland (Ann M. Lynn and Harris Michaels) are driving home while having an argument over Roland’s past infidelities, his workaholism, and his obsession with being accepted by the upper crust and crème de la crème. As they drive, their argument escalates to the point of distraction - so distracting that Roland doesn’t see the woman standing in the middle of the road until it’s too late. Discovering the woman dead, Roland refuses to go to the police for fear of losing everything he’s worked for. Back at the couple’s apartment building, Claudia shows resistance to Roland’s attempts to sweep the event under the rug. Roland, faced with the possibility of personal ruin, snaps and strangles Claudia… then she wakes up in bed. Roland, next to her, tells her that she was just having a nightmare and that everything’s okay. But Claudia can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right or that Roland might be hiding something from her.
Via Dreams is interesting because it’s never quite clear what’s real and what isn’t. The film is shot either oddly hazy or a bit too bright, creating a dreamlike quality. This also helps the general story because it is unclear who is right, Roland or Claudia, until the movie decides to tell you the truth. It is entirely possible that this short could have started with the existing 10 minutes but had the completely opposite ending/revelation and still been effective, something not often seen in the genre. Via Dreams is interesting and generally enjoyable.
On the other hand it is not entirely clear if the movie is filmed so hazily during the early night sequences because the director was trying to create a dreamlike atmosphere, or because the “day-for-night” shooting was just badly botched. The fact that it is hard to tell detracts from the overall experience of the film. The accident scene in particular seems badly done and leaves us with a sense of “you can do better than that”.
Via Dreams has some audio elements that are also questionable, possibly being either on purpose to create atmosphere or errors common to Independent Horror. Many times when an actor is talking with another actor while one of the two is off-screen, the off-screen actor’s voiceover is so quiet as to be barely above a whisper while the onscreen actor comes through clear as day. Again, maybe this could be chalked up to creating that dreamlike atmosphere… or maybe the director didn’t get the audio perfect when the actors actually ARE on screen with each other.
There is a bit of underused potential regarding the characters as
well. The backstories of our two leads feel under explained which hurts
their relatability. Before the accident, Claudia comes across as oddly
suspicious of Roland. While something in the past might justify it,
we’re not led to believe he’s done anything PRESENTLY to make her
suspicious. Roland, on the other hand, comes
across as so focused on
his social status that it raises the question of how on earth he ever
ended up marrying Claudia in the first place. This even continues after
the accident as the story either sets Claudia up as a paranoid bitch or
Roland as a manipulative jackass, depending on how the story ends up
playing out. Perhaps if the short were a little longer and had a bit
more money, there could’ve been some time to establish the relationship
between the couple and chemistry between them, making them a bit more
believable. As it is, they just don’t seem to be good people, it is
difficult to connect as a result.
The overall opinion of Via Dreams depends on how much leeway is given to the concept of “dreamlike atmosphere”. The short is enjoyable in spite of its flaws, but it feels like more could have been done with such a great idea.
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