In dreams

Claire (Annette Bening), a children’s book illustrator, lives in a large, rustic New England home in idyllic Massachusetts with her daughter, Rebecca, and husband, Paul (Aidan Quinn), an airline-pilot. At the same time a serial killer threatens the safety of young girls in the community, Claire begins experiencing horrible and nightmarish dreams. The fabric of her dreams not only resembles her illustration work but also the terrible events occurring in the local community. In a truly unnerving twist, it’s revealed that Claire’s unconscious is possessed by the killer. As reality and the dream world collapse, tragedy, violence and confusion ensues. Confined to a mental institution and treated by the ineffectual Doctor Silverman (Stephen Rea), Claire - under the influence of Vivian Thompson (Robert Downey Jr.) - escapes and faces her maligned alterego head on. In a splendid closing montage of water imagery, Claire ultimately finds harmony, peace and tranquillity. By acclaimed director Neil Jordan, “In Dreams” is a dark and unnerving film that gives full and rich exploration to the theme of the unconscious as a pool of mixed desires and impulses. Also features excellent cinematography by Darius Khondji.