Dreams

Directed by Michel Franco

Mexico

2025

98 mins

Unclassified 18+

A Mexican dancer illegally crosses the US border, surprising – and unsettling – his wealthy socialite lover in this erotic drama, which reunites Jessica Chastain with director Michel Franco (Memory, SFF 2024).

Chastain plays Jennifer, a wealthy socialite and philanthropist who has a special interest in charity work in Mexico City. It’s there that she meets and embarks on a passionate romance with the young dancer Fernando (Isaac Hernández). When he dares to cross the border illegally and pierce the bubble of Jennifer’s perfect San Francisco life, the initial eroticism of their reunion gives way to deeper questions about the nature of the relationship. Tremendous performances by Hernández, who somehow conveys an optimism despite the odds, and Chastain, balancing desire and decorum, anchor this astonishing work. Director Franco’s depiction of the shifting power dynamic between the two is provocative, daring and vital.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.

Flexipass Redeems & exchanges are no longer available for Sydney Opera House screening of this film. Final tickets to the Sydney Opera House session may still be available through sydneyoperahouse.com. Please see our Terms & Conditions for full details.

“Franco returns with a chilly, angrily intense and deeply pessimistic tale of erotic obsession among the liberal super-rich in Trump’s US who seek to launder and redeem their guilt by sponsoring the arts.”

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“As terrific as Chastain was in Memory, she’s arguably even better here playing a manipulative woman whose passion for Fernando is genuine, albeit with guardrails in place. It’s easy to see why the actress was eager to work with Franco again.”

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Tickets

Fri 6 June 2025, 8:40pm

Past Event

Sydney Opera House Playhouse

Sydney Opera House

Tue 10 June 2025, 8pm

Past Event

State Theatre

Sat 14 June 2025, 7:45pm

Past Event

Ritz Cinemas Randwick - Cinema 1

Ritz Randwick - Cinema 1

See more, save more with a Flexipass or Youth Pass

Program Strand
Special Presentations
Year
2025
Classification
Unclassified 18+
Country
Mexico, USA
Language
In English and Spanish with English subtitles
Director
Michel Franco
Producer
Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Alexander Rodnyansky
Cast
Jessica Chastain, Isaac Hernández, Rupert Friend
Screenwriter
Michel Franco
Cinematographer
Yves Cape
Editor
Oscar Figueroa Jara, Michel Franco
Genre
Arts, Human Rights, Politics, Romance, Central & South America
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Company Credits
World Sales: The Match Factory

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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