Michel Franco’s ‘Dreams’ Not Ready for Venice — World of Reel

Michel Franco’s “Dreams,” shot in July 2023, may not be ready for fall festivals.

Franco told the Karlovy Vary audience that he was taking his time with the film and would rather settle for the final cut than rush it to the festival audience:

He says he is still editing the film, so it may not be ready for Venice. “I don’t think it is ready. I wouldn’t want to rush. And I am here (in Karlovy Vary). I am not obsessed with rushing (to finish films).”

The film stars Jessica Chastain, who also starred in Franco’s “Memory,” one of last year’s underrated gems – Chastain’s co-star in that film, Peter Sarsgaard, won best actor at Venice for his searing performance as a man slowly losing his mind to dementia.

Before “Memory” hit the fall festivals, Chastain and Franco finished “Dreams” last summer in San Francisco and Mexico. The film, which also stars Isaac Hernandez and Rupert Friend, tells the story of a forbidden love between a woman and a ballet dancer.

“Dreams” has a budget of about $3 million. It also received a SAG-AFTRA waiver allowing it to shoot during the actors’ strike. If it doesn’t premiere in Venice, I imagine Franco would choose Berlin or Cannes 2025 as its premiere.

Franco later told the Karlovy Vary audience that he was already working with Chastain on a third and fourth film. She quickly became his cinematic muse.

If you haven’t seen some of Franco’s recent films, please do. They don’t get talked about enough. Franco’s Haneke-esque nihilism and dark vision of humanity aren’t to everyone’s taste, and he has his share of detractors, but I think he’s improved in recent years.

After some reservations I had about his early films, Franco is clearly improving as a filmmaker, refining his style, limiting himself more to shock value, as his last three films (“New Order,” “Sundown” and “Memory”) have been the best of his career.