You Might Have Misunderstood It - Dream Scenario Explained

I agree that the film isn't about "cancel culture," but I think it's about the same issues that lead to the concept of cancel culture. Paul sees all these people in pain and terror, a terror that wears his face. And his only reaction is to feel persecuted, and complain about how inconvenienced he is by it all. He's then mystified when people see him as an asshole, never once acknowledging the pain everyone is going through, let alone that there might actually be a link to him. That sounds an awful lot like what people label "cancel culture."

So no, it's not "about cancel culture," but I think it's fair to say it's what this dynamic people call cancel culture is actually about.

So interesting, love your analysis. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and especially by Nicolas Cage. I like layered, thoughtful, movies. My favorite movies are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Arrival; which are similar in that way. Does anyone have any other recommendations for movies like this? I want more!! 😅

What a fantstic anaylasis. I was a little confused about the film but really enjoyed it. and after watching your vid really did make the film even better for me with more understanting. Excellent work

Makes sense. Explains the last part of the movie where we see the dream technology now out for the public as well. That he has ideas, but he never do anything about them and others steals them and make it big. Yet, he still dreams of influencers talking about the idea was his.

I think the movie is about many things, such as surrounding the zebra idea because it is being mentioned multiple times and the scene in the beginning in the class where he explains it, suggests it's about today's woke and cancel culture. That either you stick your head out and become a target or you stick with the herd like sheep. That scene makes it clear what direction this movie is going.
You see it in the scene when all the students went after him at once and published the video to cancel him. Or at the restaurant where he was reading the zebra book that everyone in the restaurant wanted him out. Same with the picture in his office when the agency called him to tell him everyone backed out of projects. That picture was of one zebra. Alone, easy to spot, easy target for predators. He mentions it again with the young woman at the bar when others were staring.

The movie Dream Scenario is about the ego and the collective unconscious, two things awakened individuals should probably try to avoid. Put differently, it’s a masterpiece about destroying the ego and awakening from the nightmare dream state that is society. There are layers and layers of brilliance. . . and Easter eggs throughout.

Huge, hearty bravos go to Kristoffer Borgli, the writer/director, Nicolas Cage, Ari Aster, Tyler Campellone, Lars Knudsen, Louisa Carey and everybody else who allowed this movie to happen. I’m guessing it will be one of those timeless mind-benders, like After Hours (Martin Scorsese, Griffin Dunne, Joseph Minion), The Matrix (Keanu Reeves, Wachowski), Out of Breath (A Bout De Souffle or Breathless to Americans – Jean-Luc Goddard, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg – Q: “What is your grand ambition?” A: “To become immortal, and then to die.”), Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, Andy Siara), and The Menu (Mark Mylod, Seth Reiss, Will Tracy). Just a few that came to mind.

The ego has to be eliminated, then one can wake up either within the dream state or from the dream entirely. Paul, the protagonist, is forced into a nightmare because of what others think of him.

So, for starters, what does Paul think of himself? His ego thinks he should be a respected, published academic. That’s his starting character. His colleague strips that away. He’s powerless and full of lies about his identity. His fantasy is that he has a famous or important academic theory that’s original to him. But it’s empty hope, because it doesn’t seem he’s written any of it down. The ideas were his, but he didn’t claim it or publish it. Who knows if they were even his? It’s all derivative academics, anyway. Ants, bees, zebras – all kinds of biologists study all kinds of animal behaviors. His colleague published before he could or would.

Next, Paul appears in the dreams of others. What does that mean? He exists in some important way. He’s validated because he exists in the minds of others. To the others, that amounts to fame and an opportunity to make money. To Paul, it’s an opportunity to be validated for the things he’s dedicated his ego to.

He can be the published, respected author and be a dinner guest at the right parties if he achieves something like that. No matter what the method for achieving it is. That’s what his ego rationalizes. He will become himself by being some role or character associated with his role in the eyes of the other characters. He’s allowing the perceptions of others, the collective others, the minds of the unknowns, to define who he is. He gives them the power to define him.

And who is he in those original dreams? He’s someone who stands by and does nothing while the others have pressing issues in their dreams. He is not a participant in their dramas or dream activities, the imaginations of their minds.

As his emotions and feelings kick in, his dreamscapes are similarly colored. His anger and frustration turn him into a villain character. He has envy, pride, greed, wrath, lust, sloth and gluttony. He doesn’t want to be associated with the Sprite consumer brand – pride. He envies the woman who he thinks stole his idea. Wrath ensues during the midway point.

As he follows the temptation of the young siren Molly of the PR agency, he displays lust. His fame can become a sexual realization, but he blows his wad and farts. He becomes despicable and incapable. He can’t even please the fantasy woman character. His body betrays him in real life. He tries to explain that away like some academic scientist-biologist. He’s a grotesque human within a dream within a dream. It’s like Inception (Christopher Nolan).

The bar in New York City has people in costume there. We can assume Molly is in costume as a phony fronting for the agency. She maintains that the agency is like a cult and that a thinker academic could see through the bullshit. She appeals to his ego. The advertising PR marketing world is definitely a cult.

Aside: Paul is manipulated by women. The colleague woman steals his idea or so he perceives. The siren Molly in the bar tries to convince him to go with the good idea of Sprite sponsorship.

When Molly tells him about her sexual fantasy in her dream, Paul replies “we don’t get to decide what happens in dreams do we?” She orders her martini dirty.

It’s Halloween and a guy is dressed as Paul. A skeleton-dressed couple record him with their phones. They look like day of the dead characters. This is about ego death.

Think of how “antelligence” and beehives and zebras form herds. They communicate as a group story – group unconscious. They share behavior and dream like the professor and all of those in his life. His behavior affects that of the others. So when the nightmares ensue, he tries to explain the dream psychosis away to his daughter. He becomes increasingly isolated. The happenings in real life start affecting his relationships. For example, the siren Molly becomes an object of jealousy to his wife. Being called a loser provokes his meltdown wrath. “Loser” is written on his car. A car is an important extension of the ego in America.

In the climax, the self attempts to kill the ego. Paul takes the final killing arrow to his throat (his voice, his words). That’s no accident of directing choice. He’s on a stage with a huge audience watching.

His daughter’s play – which is another stage, another dream in real life – is imposing exiles him. He’s effectively thrown out of real life by a woman teacher who is a master of arts (M.A.) not a PhD. This continues the humiliation for his ego.

His wife says, “don’t make us all die on your hill.”

During Paul’s apology, he says he speaks from lived experience, but he’s talking about a man who looks like him . . . killing himself in a dream. How is that “lived experience?” He’s vilified because people imagine he’s done things. Imagination is what counts? Collective imagination? Does that matter to the man who studies zebras blending in? He must be the zebra that blends in if he wants to clear his ego or have his ego make good with the herd. His wife calls it insincere and self-serving. His daughter says she’s going to have to kill herself.

Paul sleeps in a basement at the dean’s house and there’s a gas smell propane tank. Is he being gaslit? Is gas a throwback to his earlier fart? He cannot be part of society. Earlier his wife turned out the light and he couldn’t see. He took off his glasses and couldn’t find the lamp. No visual clarity. In the basement of the dean’s house, he can’t find the light switch. He can’t go into dreamland or sleep. The light keeps him awake. He tries to block out the light with his hand – his self character. Fluorescent or artificial light also hits him in the head and cuts him at some point later.

He’s not Paul Matthews when he goes to his daughter’s play. He has shed his character name, his ego, with a simple denial at the front desk. He wants to see the play of his progeny.

The M.A. teacher cuts her hand as he tries to get through the door. “Respect our boundaries,” she says. The boundaries between the dream state and the dreamer? His daughter is a white rabbit in the play – a nod to Alice in Wonderland.

The dream state (PR companies, the nightmare) take the idea of collective-consciousness/dream-visitation and monetize it. The Hollywood people say Paul harnessed the power of his dreams to terrorize people.

He’s not dreamed of anymore. The house he gets has a smell of animals (gas?). The real estate agent acts out a scene of strangulation. Who was strangled earlier? Paul is worried that he’s been replaced by Chris. Why can’t the awakened man go back to his old life – his old house and wife? Is Paul trying to get into his wife’s life with the technology? Does he dream that he says something loving and funny to her?

The bookstore is called Rue Morgue or morgue Street. Paul embraces his role as Freddie Krueger and wears the hand-knife costume prop for the photo shoot. He still wants fame for his book. The book is released in the basement – a thin paperback with shortened length. It’s called I Am Your Nightmare. It was supposed to be Dream Scenario. The title works better for the horror film demographic. It works for the nightmare dreamers. For Paul, it’s just a matter of him crafting either a negative nightmare or a positive dream out of his experience. He’s ultimately the dreamer – I AM.

Paul accepts the book and is clubbed by the light of ultimate clarity. He gains a purpose or singular intent. He wants connection with his wife’s dream. For it to work the dreamer on the other end has to welcome Paul’s presence. He must be welcome in her dream (a technical point, I guess, but perhaps metaphorical as well).

Apparently his wife accepts his presence and he enters her dream. She is a damsel in distress in a ring of fire. He’s made larger by a shoulder-padded blazer – a bigger man character, but in a costume no less. Paul wishes the dream was real. He goes upwards and the screen fades to black. He wishes life was real. But merrily it’s just a dream.

Thanks for the great analysis! Do you have a profile on Letterboxd I can follow?

I just wish there was an explanation as to how or why Paul just started appearing in everyone's dreams or why his dream self became malevolent or why it all stopped. 

They do imply that everyone's dreams are all connected through a shared subconscious or something like that, but for a random everyman like Paul to just suddenly appear in their dreams without any control over it whatsoever nor have any clue of what he's doing in them, you would think that Paul has some kind of dream-walking powers without realizing it. 

Though, I now think that the dreams are a sort of metaphor. Him just being there and just standing idly by and doing nothing while the dreamer's in some sort of dangerous peril represent both his clinging desire for fame and recognition and his failure to obtain it, because nobody besides his family actually cares about him. And I think his dream self's sudden violent and murderous behavior represent his anger at not getting the credit he fells he deserves and is taking those frustrations out on the dreamers.

Its about entitled and confused coddled minds , who just follow each other's BS. It shows how reality is being run by the stupid out of fear. They are easily influenced and think they are something they are not. The best line in the film explains it, they think they have trauma but they just need to grow up.

His taking of his wife’s last name and living in her childhood home was also a sign of his inaction and weakness. He’s moved out at the end and hopefully changed his own name back.

Upon being introduced to the dream technology at the end of the film, I half expected the ending to be that multitudes of resentful strangers end up tormenting Paul in his dreams, bit of poetic justice so to speak.

I think I would have liked this ending more personally.

The best analysis I saw so far!
I went that way, but couldn't reach that deep.
Congratulations!
And thank you very much!

nailed it. thank you

Praise. I could list and articulate all the individual aspects of this critique that make it brialliant. Vut anyone reading this already knows.
congrats, you have grown my appreciation and enjoyment of this film. Well done.

Love your view on this ❤

This reminds me more of what happened to Freddy Kruger that got him thrown in the furnace. Kids dreaming of him.

Great analysis! Thanks for sharing 🙏

Its totally about cancel culture. You jus tryin to dial it back

I dont think he got a dog, i think he was dreaming a dead dog. just got done watching the movie that dog was def dead

As a 54 year old man who has realised that he has become more and more invisible as he has aged this film infuriated me. The lack of support Paul got from anyone in the film resonates so much with my own life experience. As you age you lose so many of the things which the world considers to be important, sexual attractiveness, physical strength, societal recognition and cultural relevance to the point where in todays society you may as well just die. There are of course people in their 50s and 60s who are still considered icons or cultural touch points but that’s usually if they continue to be a character…someone who may not be what they were but who act in a way that is counter to their original persona. I genuinely haven’t been as upset by watching a film as I have by watching this. I take from it that my life is fucked. There is no positive to this.

The film is 100% about cancel culture ostensibly... Nicholas Cage says that in an interview about the film.

The opinions you expressed are interesting (I feel like you're reaching a bit on some of them) even though Jungian psychology is new age trash and not used anymore, other than by dippy yoga people looking to create a religion about themselves.

You also missed a couple of key points - like his shoulders being huge in the dream at the end - him being an idealized version of himself... strong and able to take on all the stress if the world (It's the Talking Heads suit mentioned earlier).

And how could you not address the part about them breaking the 4th wall and saying the name of the book was supposed to be Dream Scenario- thereby implying the viewer is the dreamer?!

Fantastic film though - his best since Adaptation in my opinion.

Poor Paul, at the films opening his fantasy is to be published and have written a book and his reality is his home life. By the end, he is published and his dream is return to his former life.

That was a great explanation ! Your whole observation on the movie and the ideas that the movie gave you cracked it up well done !

I took the light switch scene to be an illustration of his fame / “dream powers” - he can’t control it or turn it off and it’s constantly blaring in his face, punishing him for just being there

This movie is a perfect example of how stupid and irrational people can be and that people in fact live in a hive mind and can’t think for themselves

This video was very helpful. I appreciate it, and happily subscribed. May I please have recommendations for other strange and clever films?

Awesome analsis, I love Jung's theories since a long time ao and loved the movie too

I think it’s interesting his daughter dreamed her father did nothing during a dream representing disconnection between environment or emotions. He took offense, but the only instance that came to mind of him protecting his daughter was when she was 4. Her dream reflects her relationship with her father, and how she sees him in her waking life.

In the same mirror, Paul’s dream of floating away represents his continued disconnection with his feelings and environment, meaning he can’t win his wife back, but he can’t necessarily move on either. I think it does show significant character growth that he is at least in touch with his feelings towards his wife, something we don’t see much of until he looses her.

I didn’t really like this movie a whole lot tbh. Nick cage was the saving grace. I thought it could have been really cool if he figured out that people were picking up on his emotions and dreaming about him accordingly as a hive mind type thing, and he used that to make a comeback somehow. I thought it was funny that I saw the parallel between his work and personal life; but the main character didn’t lol.

What a great comprehensive summary and explanation. Amazing video!!

Great analysis of the film. Really enjoyed it. Congrats on breaking 1k subs👏
Looking forward to the next video

Excellent analysis. I think in a big way this film highlights how all of society recoils when they see someone thinking something very different about themselves from what is apparent. The problem is that sometimes society is correct and that person is delusional, and sometimes society is wrong and that person knows something they don’t.

So this movie is just Persona 4 got it

Great film. I love me a bad ending ❤

Honestly I thought the movie was all over the place and depressing for the sake of it. Matchstick Men has many of the same beats without a scifi supernatural or psycholigical-theory concept and is open to giving Nic Cage's character development and a learned lesson when everything goes to shit.

Great analysis, many thanks!

The meaning is cool and whatever but man, the movie is so boring!

Very smart review. Thank you, it is well researched.

This movie was only a vessel to film the perfect scene - the cumfart

Just watching this review made me realize how visual this movie is. I didn’t realize Paul was the hunter with the cross bow, but this video also made me realize he was dressed the same when he broke the woman’s finger. I’m sure there’s more I missed too. I have to rewatch it

great!

Thanks for making this analysis! This clicked in a way that the other videos I watched didn't, I agree with your take.

So you are telling me Dream Scenario is just a Persona 4 reference?

Well done explanation. This is why I love A24 films.

Good video.

I think the film very obviously contains both an exploration of Jungian psychology and a clever, often insightful take on the social logic of cancel culture. Both conceptual palettes are at play in the plotting and character development, and it doesn't surprise me that the director would rather emphasize the more abstract, psychological interpretation in the promotion of the film than one that sets off divisive culture war scripts in the minds of most Americans.

Brilliant video! Ive gotten annoyed when people reduce it themes to critiquing cancel culture

Great analysis of the film. Admittedly my first reading of this film was it being about cancel culture and mob mentality. I realise this neglects a lot about Paul's character and behavior in the real world. i read the Zebra metaphor as an alegory for public shaming culture - to stand out is to risk becoming prey. The Jung reference went over my head as i wasn't familiar with his work. Thanks for your great insights

I do like this argument against cancel culture good movie sad ending

Hahaha it’s all about the motion in the ocean 😂.
For real though. Great breakdown 👊🏻😎

Sorry but we humans aren't a Hive mind controlled by chemical markers like ants or bees.

In fact not even mass hallucination can be proven as fact not even in situations like the War Of The Worlds radio broadcast.

Having said all that the movie is deeply unsettling because the main character has no control of what's going on even if it his own doing like with alleged supernatural phenomenon like poltergeists and yes this movie touches on the paranormal and is absolutely horrible what happens to him in "real life" in the movie and how cruel everyone including his family was towards him.

This movie may not be about social media and cancel culture but those themes are what leads and affects most of the movie regardless.