Liffe after Liffe:
Dreams

Directed by and screenplay: Michel Franco
Mexico, USA, 2025, 100'

Cankarjev dom Cinema Dreams

Cinematography: Yves Cape
Cast: Jessica Chastain (Jennifer McCarthy), Isaac Hernández (Fernando Rodríguez), Rupert Friend (Jake McCarthy), Marshall Bell (Michael McCarthy), Eligio Meléndez (Fernando’s Father), Mercedes Hernández (Fernando’s Mother)
Production: Teorema&Freckle Films&AR Content&Eastern Film Investmen
Distribution: Fivia d.o.o.
Festivals, awards (selection): Berlinale 2025

Exploring a turbulent relationship between an American philanthropist and a young Mexican ballet dancer, the erotic drama provides a penetrating social critique of contemporary colonial mentality while taking a prescient look at immigration.

Fernando, a prodigiously talented ballet dancer from Mexico, dreams of international fame and life in the US. Believing that his lover Jennifer, a socialite and philanthropist, will support him, he leaves everything behind and narrowly escapes death while crossing the border illegally. His arrival in San Francisco, however, disrupts Jennifer's carefully curated world. She will do anything to protect their future together - and the life she has built for herself.

I'm just a filmmaker. For me, it would be enough if my fellow Mexican immigrants and every other immigrant were acknowledged for the good job they're doing. How to solve the border? I'm just a filmmaker and I know this movie raises a lot of questions, but I cannot give any answers. Also, I made a story that is mainly intimate story of this couple. Sometimes I do tackle things in another fashion, but in this case, I'm focusing on this intimate story.
Michel Franco

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