As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of underground and avant-garde cinema, I must admit that “Dream Team” left me with a peculiar sense of disorientation, much like waking up from an especially vivid dream. The film’s lack of narrative continuity and its penchant for surrealistic flourishes are not unlike watching a late-night genre junk programmer on a particularly trippy night.
The filmmaking duo Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn, known for their underground work, aren’t strictly developing a distinctive style in their latest feature “Dream Team.” This could suggest that there’s a defined aesthetic that their casual humor and random departures are aiming for. However, “Dream Team,” set for a limited theatrical release in New York and L.A. on Nov. 15, doesn’t seem to focus much on narrative continuity or progression. Instead, it frequently shifts into a new, surreal scene every few minutes, lacking a clear direction or end goal. While this approach can be playful, the film sometimes feels like an inside joke.
In this production, the principal characters are a duo from Interpol, portrayed by renowned French actress Esther Garrel and musician Alex Zhang Hungtai. Their mission involves dismantling an illicit smuggling ring, with the plot device – the MacGuffin – being a set of sea coral samples that can release harmful toxins. As they follow the trail of deceased individuals, they clarify that they do not possess any police powers. They are more about comprehending the situation rather than resolving mysteries, as one character explains.
It’s an early pronouncement that conveys the unruffled haze that encompasses “Dream Team,” further seen in its casual penchant for bad wordplay. Along with some double-entendre dialogue, episode title cards reading “Ashes to Asses” and “Fax on the Beach” are spaced throughout the story (the project first began as an idea for a web series). The film reaches an early peak with the introduction of the gloriously named Dr. Veronica Beef (Minh T Mia), who delivers a nonsense exposition dump that somehow begins in a laboratory and ends in a hot tub, with all the characters in a state of undress.
The movie carries a playful and breezy atmosphere. Filmed in 16mm, “Dream Team” achieves a dream-like quality, characterized by its abundant sunbeams and sparse set designs. The Interpol agents are embarking on an international quest as described by the narrator, yet every café, office, and resort seems connected to a single coastal town. In this story overflowing with coral imagery, the independent production appears much like an aquarium itself, filled with numerous vibrant, less-than-perfect replicas of tropical locales.
However, the tranquility underwater becomes monotonous over time, as the inhabitants share characteristics with goldfish. Investigating the coral for Interpol uncovers a lineup of peculiar suspects, yet many characters appear constrained to a particular flat delivery, designed to maintain an unbroken atmosphere. Despite maintaining composure, Garrel stands out, delivering her lines in a French accent that adds a touch of elegance to the nonsensical English dialogue. She lends authenticity to the flexible genre norms, much like Kyle MacLachlan did in “Twin Peaks,” or Patrick Stewart in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” or numerous actors from ’90s productions that “Dream Team” seems to be borrowing from.
Similar to the initial season of “Twin Peaks”, Kalman and Horn’s story concludes in a somewhat open-ended manner, yet not before delving into a variety of narrative detours. The creators appear more fascinated by the visual allure of a genre TV series than they would be if they had to develop a consistent character over multiple episodes. As a result, the film seems to foreshadow its own cancellation even before the end. There’s a certain charm in this structure, but “Dream Team” ultimately proves to be a visually appealing dead-end, lacking the depth needed to truly captivate. A later scene introduces an enigmatic agent who blows smoke rings, a quirk that offers little freshness – a hint that the film’s initial intrigue has faded into a soothing monotony, akin to a tranquilizer.
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2024-11-15 22:16