Much has been made over so-called cancel culture, what it is, and whether it really exists at all. Some believe it is merely bad people facing the consequences of their actions, while some literally believe no one of consequence has ever suffered anything negative from alleged incidences of it all, and others point to it as a chilling threat to free speech and democracy itself. However one defines it or what one thinks of it, it has become undeniable that at times, social media targets those who run afoul of orthodox opinion for one viewpoint or another and seeks to project their visage to the public for scorn. How must it feel to end up in the crosshairs of such a campaign? What does it look and feel like? An uproariously funny satire featuring an actor who may be known as Hollywood’s most peculiar utilizes his offbeat presence to put the peculiar practice of “cancellation” under a microscope.
Dream Scenario introduces us to science professor Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) who lives a mundane, forgettable life in the suburbs with his wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) and daughters Hannah (Jessica Clement) and Sophie (Lily Bird). As Paul seeks to find a way to become a published author in his field, he soon learns that millions of strangers have suddenly began seeing him in their dreams. Not threatening in any way just there, being useless when they could use a hand. This catapults Paul to stardom as a novelty, but soon his presence in their dreams turns them into nightmares as he starts terrorizing people in the dream world. Just as quickly as he became beloved, Paul becomes hated and feared.
The most obvious and most talked about theme of this film is its commentary on so-called cancel culture and indeed, there is much to be said about the way Dream Scenario portrays this phenomenon. This film should not be pigeonholed into being about that one issue however, as it also has something substantive to say about fame and the parasocial relationships that our celebrity worshipping culture encourages alongside the much more discussed rise of social media. The unprecedented access that human beings have to each other in the digital age creates a false sense of familiarity and connection that often doesn’t align with the reality of who a person may be and what our relationship with them really is. In one of Dream Scenario’s perfect examples of satire, Paul meets a young admirer named Molly (Dylan Gelula) while meeting with a marketing team about a potential plan that would allow him to capitalize on his newfound fame. When they have post-meeting drinks in a NYC bar and Molly informs Paul that he appears in her dreams in a sexual manner, she convinces him to come to her apartment to act out her dream in real life. As one would expect, the encounter does not go as it did in her dreams, as real life Paul is the bumbling, middle-aged married man the audience has come to know he is and not the seductively dangerous lothario Molly had dreamt of. The scene is perhaps the funniest in a film chock full of them, but the underlying point of how celebrity makes people create the idea of who someone is in their head as opposed to who they really may be as a person is hammered home through the humorous interaction. This example of a powerful point being conveyed in a way that entertains while being informative is indicative of the pitch perfect satire that comprises the film.
As mentioned previously however, the biggest satirical target of Dream Scenario is cancel culture and the mob mentality, infantilization of the populace, and relentless targeting of individuals that it fosters. Through the observation of Paul’s experience with going viral, the audience is shown how the flames of cancel culture are built, fanned, and eventually extinguished and what the effect is on a person’s life, even if they’ve contributed nothing to the ordeal. Paul finds himself adulated and scorned for something he never has control over at any point, his appearance in the dreams of others. Paul becomes a popular novelty for his mundane appearances in their dreams then becomes branded a dangerous predator when their dreams become nightmares. His students force the university to suspend him from campus due to their fear of him and his long time friend and boss just willingly follows along with them despite his and Paul’s relationship. His children’s school bans him from attending his daughters’ events to placate those who have become scared of him due to their own nightmares, again with the administration complying with no pushback. All of this happens despite no change in Paul’s behavior during his period of infamy and the fact what he has become notable, and then scorned, for is completely out of his control. The hive mind nature of cancel culture even causes those who have known Paul and his family for years to turn on him due to the shift in public opinion. The tide shift in public opinion also mirrors how Paul experienced becoming a well-known figure, creating a powerful metaphor for social media attention. The middle-aged man experiencing professional uncertainty and feelings of inadequacy finally experiences a sense of importance and the potential for greater recognition within his field only for that same attention to turn toxic and lead to him losing everything he had previously but had taken for granted.
The ordeal draws upon real life instances of people who have become the target of public pile-ons making what Paul experiences feel real and visceral, providing biting commentary on a real life issue. The acquiescence to the more vocally sensitive persons in society, particularly on college campuses, has increasingly come under scrutiny and Dream Scenario clearly takes aim at this aspect of our current culture and questions whether it is the proper response or simply hysteria. These questions are sure to make the film itself subject to similar scorn, but they are presented in a way that both provokes thought without making an overt judgement one way or another. Its depiction of our current culture is more of a mirror than a statement. Dream Scenario puts the life cycle of virality in the social media age on full display in a way that uses humor to drive home its ridiculousness and viciousness. Nicolas Cage continues his renaissance of the past six years offering a performance that runs the gamut of emotion; humor, uncertainty, sympathy, and sadness. Paul is a character that demands a wide range in depicting him and accentuating the story and Cage nails it effortlessly. The past few years have seen a wealth of well-made satirical films and Dream Scenario is right at the top alongside films like The Death of Stalin, The Menu, and Triangle of Sadness.
Image: A24
