To Dream
“To Dream” really doesn’t have a lot new to add to the coming-of-age genre. It tells it’s story well enough, and has a bit of a twist that brings a some depth to the story just as it’s wrapping up to it’s conclusion, but the film is very much a story of youth on the edge of life like so many others have been before.
Writer-director Nicole Albarelli starts her story when Luke and Tommy are kids, getting into trouble when they steal food from the local convenience store. They’re best friends, and always feel like they will be as they dream of, one day, going to America for a different life. We then cut to them as young men, and Luke (Edward Hayter) and Tommy (Freddie Thorp) are still getting into trouble, and shirking responsibilities, while dreaming of going to America. Luke is still living with his depressed, alcoholic father (Frank Jakeman), who is trying to be a good parent to him with Luke’s mother, but is likely to beat the crap out his, as well, making Luke further hopeful of leaving one day, and sooner rather than later.
Albarelli has a good ear for authentic characters and dialogue, but this film just feels very predictable and meandering. I didn’t feel like she had anything new to add to this particular genre, and a terribly compelling story to tell. As I said, there’s a twist late in the film that adds some shading to this specific story, and makes us feel something. Ultimately, however, “To Dream” feels like many other films that came before it, and a lot like it’s main characters- dreaming of being more than they are, but not enough to lift them up to those heights.
