Synopsis
A 16‑year‑old girl, Johanne, becomes intensely infatuated with her French teacher and documents her feelings in a private diary. When her mother and grandmother discover the writing, they are shocked by its intimacy yet captivated by its literary quality. Their fascination leads them to consider publishing the diary, inadvertently taking ownership of Johanne’s emotional world. As the story unfolds, Johanne confronts the gap between romantic fantasy and lived experience, navigating desire, vulnerability, and the loss of control over her own narrative.
Context and Craft
Dag Johan Haugerud’s Dreams is part of a trilogy exploring sexuality, longing, and social norms in contemporary Oslo. The film sits between Sex and Love in Haugerud’s thematic cycle, each entry examining human relationships through moral fables and existential comedy. Haugerud’s background in literature and psychological drama shapes the film’s tone: intimate, observational, and grounded in everyday emotional complexity. Cinematographer Cecilie Semec employs a naturalistic visual style that mirrors the film’s focus on interiority, while Anna
Berg’s music underscores the tension between adolescent idealism and adult ambivalence. The screenplay’s blend of humour and seriousness reflects Haugerud’s interest in autofictionlike storytelling, reminiscent of Norway’s literary tradition of introspective realism.
Critical Reception
- “Vividly captures the dizzying highs and lows of first love,” and highlights Haugerud’s “rich trilogy of films exploring modern relationships.” — Sight & Sound
- “A teenager’s crush on her teacher cues a complex but light‑handed investigation of romantic awakening, power imbalance, and creative catharsis.” — Hollywood
Reporter - “A complex but light‑handed investigation of romantic awakening, power imbalance and creative catharsis.” — Variety
Conclusion
Critics have praised Dreams for its candid portrayal of teenage desire and its nuanced handling of ethically fraught material. Provocative and tender, Dreams stands out as a thoughtful, quietly
daring exploration of adolescent longing and the ways adults project their own desires onto the young. Haugerud’s restrained direction and the film’s layered performances (particularly Ella
Øverbye and Selome Emnetu) create a work that is emotionally rich without sensationalism. As part of Haugerud’s trilogy, it deepens his ongoing examination of intimacy, autonomy, and the
stories we tell about ourselves, and the stories others try to tell for us.
Audience Rating: 8.5
Audience Comments:
- Beautifully written. Brits could never be this emotionally open.
- Makes you remember how self-absorbed you were as a teenager
- Loved the imagery of the nan climbing Jacob’s Ladder. Hope she reached the Swedish hunk!
- Wonderful evocation of young love. Married and elderly wisdom from Grandma.
- An amusing little Ditty
- Sensitive
- Elongated. Interesting and evocative, but became boring/self indulgent