Dreamers (2000) (NR) No Rating

Wow, another independent movie about idealistic young filmmakers

struggling to get their movie made. The surprise here, though, is that

writer-director Ann Lu's debut is actually witty, incisive and somewhat

daring.

Story

I won't give away the film's clever opening, except to say that it's

playfully inventive and, if you buy into it, it ties together nicely

with the rest of the film. Essentially, it's a film about the American

dream, Hollywood style: Two young kids growing up in Smalltown, USA, who

go to Tinseltown with delusions of grandeur, hoping to escape their

insulated world for fame and fortune. Oh yeah, and one of the guys sells

his virginity to get funding for their film.

Acting

Jeremy Jordan and Mark Ballou, as CFDS (Chronic Filmmaking Dream

Syndrome) sufferers Dave and Ethan, are believably earnest, in a 1990

"Dawson's Creek" sort of way. Ruth De Sosa is the Beverly Hills

housewife exploiting the sexually repressed boys for cheap thrills, and

Courtney Gains plays the dim-witted producer. No stars here, but no

wannabes, either.

Direction

Probably the most amazing thing about the film is Lu's fascination with,

and affinity for, Americana. It's hard to believe the director has only

been in the United States for five years; her feeling for the small-town

characters and their situations is dead-on. And Lu has a great sense of

visual style, particularly for such a low-budget affair.

Bottom Line

If you're not completely bored with the "indie filmmaker" vibe by now,

"Dreamers" is a new take on an old story. Heck, even if you are bored

with it, you’ll probably laugh a lot.