“Dream Scenario” premiered September 9, 2023 at the Toronto International Film Festival before its widespread theatrical release on November 22, 2023. “Dream Scenario” stars Nicholas Cage, Dylan Gelula, and Julianne Nicholson. Kristoffer Borgli directed and wrote the screenplay of the film which was put on by the A24 entertainment company. Although it first premiered in September, “Dream Scenario” was not available to stream until March 15th on Max (formerly HBO).

“Dream Scenario” was a dark comedy, telling the story of college professor, Paul Matthews, who becomes famous when strangers realize they all see him in their dreams whether or not they have seen him in their lives. However, this dream of stardom is short lived, as the dreams involving Paul turn to nightmares and he is shunned by the majority of society and even his own family.

The film is based off of a phenomenon known as “This Man,” a case in which many people have all reported seeing the same man in their dreams doing various things, some nightmarish, some not. People figured out they were all seeing the same man after a sketch was released online. Later the image was revealed to be a hoax by Italian Guerilla Marketing Specialist Andrea Natella.

“I thought the concept was really interesting which made me want to watch it,” senior Hailey Truell said. “Some of the events were a little strange, but it added to the uncanniness of the theme. Overall the movie kept me intrigued throughout.”

The film had a “Nightmare on Elm Street” element to it. As the movie progresses, the lines between dreams and reality become blurred, causing it to become quite surreal. It forces the characters in the movie as well as the audience to question what is real and what isn’t, which may make it confusing for some viewers. “Dream Scenario,” despite its strange subject matter, was a very enjoyable film.