"In Dreams" is a muddled, psychological horror film. It was directed by Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game", "Interview with the Vampire"), and like many of his past efforts, the film has been interesting, but in the end, unsatisfying.
Annette Bening stars as Claire Cooper, whose sleep is disturbed by recurring nightmares of a young girl being kidnapped. She is the wife of Paul (Aidan Quinn), an airline pilot, and the mother of Rebecca (Katie Sagona), who is perhaps six years old. Claire's visions of the kidnapper become tormenting after her own daughter becomes his next victim. Finally, she ends up violent and suicidal. Dr. Silverman (Stephen Rea, who shows up regularly in director Jordan's films) doesn't believe her wild, paranoid stories at first; until they begin becoming true. The climax, of course, has Claire in a confrontation with the killer, a lunatic mother-obsessed orphan named Vivian (Robert Downey Jr.).
The problems with "In Dreams" begin with the casting. As in his past films, Downey seems like a lost puppy dog, hardly a Norman Bates-styled child killer. Bening isn't quite right either; lacking both the campiness and the vulnerability required to pull off the 'victim' role. Humor, both intended and unintentional, is completely absent. The story is confusing, and the sets are obsessed with red imagery, especially apples. And what happened to the doggy? They didn't just leave him tied up forever, did they?
The problems are so obvious that it comes as a surprise that the film really isn't that bad. The plot's events are consistently strange and unexpected, the cinematography is often excellent, and there is suspense and tension. We never really care about Claire, as her madness sets in too quickly and deeply. But we are curious about what will happen to her, even if it seems inevitable that she will end up in a straightjacket, writhing and shrieking.
Bruce Robinson, best known for "The Killing Fields" and the cynical, semi-autobiographical "Withnail and I", adapted the disappointing screenplay from Bari Wood's novel "Doll's Eyes". (56/100)
Claire Cooper's once peaceful family life takes a chilling turn when a mysterious serial killer invades her seemingly idyllic New England town and thr...More at HotMovieSale.com
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