Absolutely brilliant

The first must-see film of the year.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I just saw this movie and while I liked it mainly throughout, I did feel the ending was slightly disappointing, not to mention that the movie was a bit weird, but still worthy of watching, at least once.But that is not why I am writing you. I too am a weather station addict, and soon I believe that there will be meetings like AA for us weather addicts as it is very compulsive and addicting, so since you do claim that you are empathetic, cut your guy a little slack as he probably has trouble controlling his weather urges, especially if there is an exciting storm coming or brewing somewhere. Weather is cool! We humans are a very weird group, are we not? And of course, I guess that does screw up your movie though if he watches for long, but just let him watch on commercials.Ahhh! Just my worthless two-cents worth.You take care, and I agree that overall this was an interesting movie.The Leum

With echoes of Allison Ander's "Gas, Food, Lodging", "Dreamland" tells a believable and engaging coming of age tale through the eyes of Audrey, a recent high school graduate caught at a personal crossroads. She lives in the ironically titled trailer park in the middle of the desert called Dreamland, which acts as a place to dream of something more, but few hold the hope required to get anywhere else. It's a stunning work with a muted visual canvas, showing images that evoke the desolation and abandonment the characters feel. Agnes Bruckner, who gave a stand-out performance in the little seen gem "Blue Car", again shows true skill as she keeps her highly conflicted character from becoming maudlin.

Dreamland is a film about hopes and dreams, fear and regret. Audrey and her father Henry live in a trailer park after Henry's wife has passed away. Henry is a drunk and deathly afraid of physically leaving the trailer park, where he has lived for the past several years. Calista, Audrey's best friend, is a beautiful, aspiring Miss America who has MS, counting the days until she dies. Dreamland explores a common theme of breaking personal boundaries (real or perceived) and having to face your own truth. It works because the context is exquisitely executed. The imagery is extremely well done, and Kelli Garner's performance, a hint of Marilyn Monroe, is the most difficult and deserves recognition. John Corbett's character does push his limits but he does a fine job. Gina Gershon has a bit part but does it well. The main flaw is the ending, and I wish they would have taken a more risqué approach rather than wrapping everything up in a nice bow.

This film premiered at Sundance.It is a beautifully photographed, sensitively presented, leisurely paced drama set in "Dreamland", a trailer park in New Mexico. Unlike most coming-of-age stories that focus on young males, this is one that centers on an 18-year old female. The main character, Audrey (Agnes Bruckner), is a recent high-school graduate who gets involved in a love triangle that includes her ailing best friend, Calista (Kelli Garner), and Mookie (Justin Long), a newcomer to Dreamland.John Corbett's nuanced portrayal of Audrey's concerned but agoraphobic father is the best film acting he's done yet. The young actors all have good screen presences and create believable characters.Although the main audience for this movie may be teen-aged girls, it may also be appealing to young men (Audrey and Calista look quite fetching as they hang out in a hot tub). The film may provide valuable insights to anyone who deals with teens and their issues--and it may strike an emotional chord with adults who went through loyalty or love-triangle issues when they were teens.I saw it again at the Gen Art Film festival in NYC last night, and appreciated it even more the second time around. Most of the people in the audience (an almost full house at the Ziegfeld Theater) seemed to respond to it favorably, and the overall "buzz" sounded enthusiastic to me.