Dream Scenario: Nicolas Cage excels as hapless professor in horror comedy

4/5 stars

What if fame were suddenly thrust upon you, only for it to devolve from recognition to notoriety just as swiftly? Norwegian writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s English-language debut imposes just such a cruel fate upon Nicolas Cage’s mild-mannered biology professor in the darkly comic fantasy Dream Scenario.

For reasons that defy explanation, unassuming middle-aged family man Paul Matthews (Cage at his most delightfully self-deprecating) begins appearing in people’s dreams, and not only in the nocturnal subconscious of those who know him but in the dreams of complete strangers, where he appears as a peripheral figure in all manner of settings.

Initially, Paul delights at his new-found fame on campus and in restaurants, but is frustrated by the passive nature of his visitations.

After his family home is invaded by a would-be assassin, Paul reaches out to a PR firm for guidance on how to handle his swelling celebrity status. He hopes to finally publish a long-gestating book on ants, but Michael Cera’s airheaded ad exec urges him to plug big-name consumer products during his nighttime appearances.

Without provocation, Paul’s nocturnal activities take a dynamic turn. For some, like PR assistant Molly (Dylan Gelula), he becomes the unlikely subject of uncontrollable sexual fantasies, but for others, Paul morphs into the stuff of genuine nightmares, an almost Freddy Krueger-like bogeyman spreading violence and fear.

As Paul discovers, fame can just as easily become venomous, as he finds himself unceremoniously “cancelled” for perceived grievances and crimes that occur entirely beyond his control.

Flitting between absurdist comedy and surreal horror, Dream Scenario takes its audience on a wildly inventive roller coaster of ridiculous situations and even more unlikely repercussions.

In its third act, the film stumbles slightly, veering into an ill-advised sci-fi detour involving the kind of dream-navigating technology even Christopher Nolan struggled to adequately explain.

Fortunately, Borgli does manage to right the ship, ending on a well-earned note of melancholic resolution that leaves audiences pondering our increasingly tenuous grip on reality and truth.

What lingers longest, however, is Cage’s nuanced and multifaceted performance, the latest flourish of genius from a performer who remains one of the most consistently surprising and criminally underappreciated actors of his generation.