Overview
In the heart of Paris, two siblings explore the boundaries of love and desire in a tumultuous time.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- lush
- provocative
- romantic
- arthouse movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's lush atmosphere, beauty, poignancy, and romantic cinephilia, while finding it less provocative or substantial than its subject suggests.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Matthew, Isabelle, and Theo retreat into sexual and emotional experimentation while the May 1968 student movement erupts outside their Paris home.
The three students meet through their shared film obsession and use cinematic games to structure their relationship.
The siblings' grand Paris home becomes an enclosed world of indulgence while their parents are away.
The film combines sensual imagery, nudity, and an unconventional threesome with romantic and politically charged atmosphere.
Films like The Dreamers, and why
Jules and Jim
shared erotic triangle, political turbulence, cinephilia, and lush romanticism
Last Tango in Paris
shared sexual experimentation, provocative intimacy, and psychologically charged romance
Stealing Beauty
shared youthful sensuality, bohemian atmosphere, and European art-house drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- Release Date
- 2003-10-10
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (3174)
Cast
- Michael Pitt
- Eva Green
- Louis Garrel
- Anna Chancellor
- Robin Renucci
- Jean-Pierre Kalfon
- Jean-Pierre Léaud
- Florian Cadiou
- Pierre Hancisse
- Valentin Merlet
Common questions
- What is The Dreamers about?
- Three cinephile students form an intoxicating, sexually charged private world in a Paris apartment as the upheavals of May 1968 gather outside.
- What is The Dreamers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dreamers as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Dreamers violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Dreamers as mild.
- What did critics think of The Dreamers?
- Critics broadly admired the film's lush atmosphere, beauty, poignancy, and romantic cinephilia, while finding it less provocative or substantial than its subject suggests.
- Which films are like The Dreamers?
- Films with a similar feel include Jules and Jim, Last Tango in Paris, and Stealing Beauty.
- How long is The Dreamers?
- The Dreamers runs 115 minutes.
