Film Review: Dreamland Dir: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

0

Starring: Margot Robbie, Finn Cole, Travis Fimmel

Back to the future with this Depression-era crime drama firmly set well within the world of Bonnie & Clyde.

Set in rural Texas in 1935, the residents of this small farming community are facing financial ruin, dust storms and isolation…and you thought 2020 was bad.

We meet Eugene (Finn Cole) a 18 year-old kid obsessed with True Crime Magazines and girls. Imagine his luck when both show up in the form of a wanted bank robber, possibly killer, Allison Wells (an absolutely magnetic Margot Robbie).

With cheekbones to die for, Allison is holed up in Eugene’s abandoned family barn (I remember only finding cobwebs in our barn)…with a bullet in her leg.

After a bit of mulling the situation, the cheekbones win and Eugene agrees to hid Allison from his step-father, who happens to be local police deputy.

With an APB out on Allison, things get sticky and Eugene, who has told Allison he is 25, is getting understandable emamoured with his “guest”.

Soon, there are plans to hi-tail it to Mexico, but as anyone who has seen Bonnie & Clyde knows, the ending will most likely be less than happy.

So there you have it, a spellbinding performance from Margot Robbie, a plot that recalls classics such as Badlands, Days Of Heaven and Bonnie & Clyde and photography/scenery that will sear into your mind.

Dreamland’s biggest fault is that it takes too long to do too little. The relationship between Eugene and Allison seems inevitable but the jaw-dropping shower scene (the best since Psycho) is too long in arriving.

Despite its flaws, Dreamland is worthy of your attention if for no other reason than to watch Margot Robbie in action. At age 30, the Aussie actress has already got two Academy Award nominations and 5 BAFTAs.

There’ll be more to come!

Marty Duda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwTGVn6tllw

 

 

Marty Duda
Latest posts by Marty Duda (see all)