DRØMMER

Norway

Fiction

Johanne falls in love for the first time, with her teacher. To preserve her feelings, she documents her emotions and experiences in writing. When her mother and grandmother read what she has written, they are initially shocked by its intimate content but soon see that it has literary potential. As they debate whether to publish it, Johanne navigates the gap between her romantic fantasy and reality, and all three women confront their differing views on love, sexuality, and self-discovery.

Written & directed by: Dag Johan Haugerud
Produced by: Hege Hauff Hvattum, Yngve Sæther
Cinematography: Cecilie Semec
Editing: Jens Christian Fodstad
Production Design: Tuva Hølmebakk
Costume Design: Ida Toft
Make-Up & Hair: Maren Anna Olstad
Original Score: Anna Berg
Sound: Yvonne Stenberg, Gisle Tveito
Casting: Celine Engebrigtsen
Cast: Ella Øverbye (Johanne), Selome Emnetu (Johanna), Ane Dahl Torp (Kristin), Anne Marit Jacobsen (Karin), Ingrid Giæver (Frøydis), Lars Jacob Holm (Psychologist), Andrine Sæther (Anne)

Statement of the director:
Where did the idea to make this film come from?
It partly came from the book "It Stays in the Family," which is mentioned in the film, partly from my own memories of my first love, and partly from a desire to write a role for Ella Øverbye, who plays Johanne.
Who is Johanne, the film's main character?
She is 16 or 17 years old, a somewhat precocious person who might appear smarter and more mature than she actually is. At the same time, she has an inner maturity that enables her to reflect and articulate her own life.
What do you think DREAMS is about?
It's about sexual awakening, the feeling that the body wants something the mind is too young to understand or acknowledge, making it initially uncomfortable and embarrassing. But then love arises, and suddenly this sexual attraction becomes more concrete, understandable, and almost uncontrollable. It feels almost natural. It also deals with what it means to turn your life into a story.
In DREAMS, we meet a 17-year-old girl who falls head over heels in love for the first time. Why did you choose to tell the story of a young woman's first love, and how easy was it to empathise with her inner life?
One 17-year-old girl is not necessarily like another 17-year-old girl, and among all the variations of 17-year-old girls, there are surely some who think and feel things that a grown man might remember thinking and feeling when he was 17.
What did you want to say about sexual orientation in this film? The main character doesn't seem too concerned about being queer?
Feeling an attraction to another person is primarily about sexuality and less about identity. Declaring oneself as queer is about proclaiming oneself as a person, finding a place in society, and gaining a sense of community. Johanne isn't there yet; she falls in love with girls, that's all she knows, and she's not ready to take on the identity package that is suddenly thrust upon her. In her infatuation, it feels diminishing, distracting, and irrelevant.
You have worked with all the actors in the major roles before? Did you write the script with them in mind? If so, how important was it for you in the scriptwriting process?
Yes. It's not strictly necessary, but for me, it's both fun and inspiring to envision a face, a body, and a voice while writing. I don't think it makes it easier, maybe more challenging and sharpening.
DREAMS has a consistent use of voice over, what would you say about the use of voice over in this film? Do you have any reference films that inspired you?
I have a reference film when it comes to voice: MY BODY by Margreth Olin. It has a very personal voice, and I like it because it is so strong and insistent. I also like its sound. In DREAMS, I tried to use voice in as many different ways and levels as possible. As a personal, confessional voice, as a detached, narrative voice, as a voice that starts as a dialogue in the film's space and becomes a voice, and also an omnipotent and omniscient voice that knows what the others feel and intervenes to steer the film. It's in a way an extreme exercise in voice and is thus a kind of experiment.
One of the film's sub-themes is the question of whether Johanne should publish her diary or not. Is it a commentary on the trend of reality literature, where the closeness to reality often feels more important than the purely literary?
No. It's more about how we constantly stage ourselves and construct our lives as a story. This has, largely due to social media, become the way we live our lives: Everything is a story with a construction and dramaturgy that is easily understandable and recognizable, and what doesn't fit into this story construction or can't be reduced to understandable formulations doesn't really exist. Thus, it's as if part of us ceases to exist. That's what the Chimney Sweep feels in SEX, and that's also what happens to Johanne when she publishes her book.
You are a novelist yourself and published books before writing film scripts. What have you taken from being a writer to film?
Nothing. At least nothing I'm aware of myself.
DREAMS is the second film in the trilogy SEX DREAMS LOVE, in what way would you say it differs from the other two films?
It has a different form; it is more subjective than the others and has a visual language that contributes to that. It also has a style that makes it quite far from me. But I hope and believe that it still feels like part of this trilogy's universe.

Production:
Motlys
https://www.motlys.com/

World Sales:
mAppeal
https://m-appeal.com