The primary engagement of Dreamer is one of immense cultural and social relevance. While dealing with notions of racism and its far-reaching consequences on those who find themselves at its receiving end is a conversation of all times, its resonance has only gained more momentum in contemporary times, ensuring that we truly sit up and pay attention to the several undercurrents that are making their presence felt. 

The narrative does its bit in furthering the said conversation by introducing us predominantly to a single experience of Dr Lily Cruz. As she stands before an immigration officer, a part of a lived reality that might have no more than the significance of a mundane occurrence for the person of the right skin color, little does Dr Cruz realize that her world is about to be turned upside down. 

Through the brief, but impactful exchange between the officer and the protagonist, an important comment is made about the deep bias and prejudice that operates within different sections of society, leaving one utterly and frustratingly powerless in the face of potentially oppressive and arbitrary societal forces. At the film’s conclusion, lies a very crucial comment about the same, and the adverse aftermath of racism, sometimes overt, but other times, more inert, systemic, and therefore insidious, giving rise to the absolute need for the said dialogue to be furthered.

Dreamer | Short Film Nominee

The year is 1983, but the dynamics of gender and race are not far from our contemporary society. Consequently, when a young woman in East Los Angeles decides to join a neighborhood gang following a traumatic experience, her mother is unable to come to terms with it. Further prodding reveals the true reasons behind this decision, also taking the viewer into a far darker reality. While the film had opened on a seemingly light note of young women applying make-up and helping a friend get ready, the narrative soon acquires a tone of sinister tales marked by monsters and wolves. It further brings in an element of fantasy, the same also finding a visual representation when the big, bad wolf comes out to hunt unsuspecting girls. A reality of sexual assault, gun violence, systemic racism is conjured for the story to drive home its message in a more emphatic manner. As the conversation between the mother and her daughter progresses, we see a Red Riding Hood preparing to brace the cruel world outside, ensuring to muster all her courage and putting together the armor needed for the foray she is about to step into. However, in the closing dialogue of the film lies an important assertion, that wolves continue to prowl fearlessly, even in the most unexpected corners, leaving Red Riding Hoods off guard and in serious jeopardy everywhere.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links