The Dreamers is a 2003 film starring Eva Green (in her first movie role), Michael Pitt, and Louis Garrel. The supporting cast included Anna Chancellor and Robin Renucci. It was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and based on a novel titled The Holy Innocents by Gilbert Adair (who also wrote the movie's screenplay). It was also the second-to-last film directed by Bertolucci, who is probably best known for the very controversial film, The Last Tango in Paris.
The events of the film are set in France in 1968. In it, Pitt plays an American college student studying in Paris. He is a shy movie buff, and during a protest against the firing of a theater director, he meets twins Theo (Garrel) and Isabelle (Green), the children of a famous French poet and fellow film enthusiasts his age. He befriends the twins, and when he is invited to stay with Theo and Isabelle while their parents are away for a month, they embark on a very unusual friendship.
I have the imported 4k release, which is a two-disc import set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray disc. The UHD disc is region-free, meaning it will play on Region 1/US 4k Blu-Ray players. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding and a definite upgrade over the DVD. The standard Blu-ray disc is region-locked to Region 2, so you need a Region 2 or region-free player to play the content on that disc. The bonus content carries over most, but not all, of the features from the original DVD release and also adds bonus material not on the DVD release. The bonus content includes a commentary track on the film by Bertolucci, Adair, and the film's producer, Jeremy Thomas. It appears that the tracks were recorded separately and jump from one speaker to another, rather than being a conversation among the three. That is the only extra on the UHD disc. The rest, which include a making-of featurette, behind-the-scenes B-roll footage, cast and crew interviews, the original trailer, and a trailer for the 4K release, are all on the standard disc. It also includes a movie poster and several postcards featuring scenes from the film.
The film is good, but strange. The relationship between Theo and Isabelle is cringe-worthy (borderline incestuous, but not quite) and is definitely not a traditional sibling relationship. The movie is definitely not family-friendly. It was originally released with an NC-17 rating, which is well deserved because it contains a lot of sexual content and nudity. It touches on some of the political turmoil of 1968, including the nationwide general strike and student riots in France, but it is mostly in the background until the very end of the film. It also includes clips from several old movies and a very good soundtrack (especially if you are a fan of late-1960s rock and blues). So, while the movie is good, it is definitely not for everyone. It is an erotic drama with a foreign-film feel and would definitely not be made the same way in the US. It was well-acted, especially since all the main actors were in their early 20s and did not have much acting experience when it was made. Ultimately, it is worth checking out if you are a fan of Green's (who has had the most success of all the actors since the movie came out), foreign films, and/or period pieces, and are not easily offended.
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