Nic Cage is pretty much everywhere right now. From his vampiric setting that chews inside Renfield in his post-commentary The unbearable weight of enormous talent, is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid — not that anyone would want to. Love him or hate him, however, Cage is an undeniable mainstay of pop culture. His legacy (and his decades-spanning filmography) looms large in the audience—and many of his upcoming projects seem to be in conversation with his weirder roles.
Cage’s last role at A24’s A dream scenario it’s a most welcome return to form. The actor stars as Matthew, a mild-mannered professor who suddenly becomes the object of people’s dreams. By “people,” I mean everyone: his students, his super cool teenage daughter, and even strangers on the street. This phenomenon turns Matthew into something of a viral sensation, a role that none of the former embraces with relish. But it doesn’t take long for him to discover the pitfalls of fame, especially as his subliminal cameos become unwieldy. Watch the trailer below.
A dream scenario is the latest in a long line of indie dramas like Charlie Kaufman Bo is Scared. Countless filmmakers have adopted Kaufman’s surrealist style in recent times, and Cage is uniquely qualified to tackle this particular genre. It’s been over 20 years since he starred in such a shocking story: Cage teamed up with Kaufman in the 2002 film Adjustment., portraying a version of the writer-director—as well as his fictional twin brother—in the post-odyssey.
Adjustment. is arguably more down-to-earth than Kaufman’s more notable work, so it’s nice to see Cage get a chance to embrace the weirder aspects of the genre in A dream scenario. It’s equally interesting to see how Kaufman’s legacy inspires other filmmakers: Bo is Scared The producer is the director Aris Aster A dream scenariowhile Kristoffer Borgli, the mind behind Sick of myself, directs. Of course, Kaufman isn’t the only director who has built a brand on extreme existentialism. If the rise of creators like Aster and Borgli tells us anything, it’s that his style is coming back into the mainstream — and that’s never a bad thing.
A dream scenario hits theaters November 10.
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