I Have Electric Dreams
A sensitive Costa Rican teenager reaches for her estranged father while testing the unstable boundaries between dependence, desire, and adulthood.
Overview
A poignant exploration of teenage longing and familial bonds unfolds in this heartfelt drama.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sensitive
- sensual
- abrasive
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Valentina Maurel’s assured debut for its tough, sensual, emotionally sharp portrait of adolescent and family turmoil.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Eva’s teenage sensitivity and attraction to an older man complicate her attempts to understand intimacy and adulthood.
Eva idealizes and clings to her estranged father Martín while confronting his volatility.
The film balances teenage tenderness with spiky, sensual, and emotionally difficult interactions.
Eva’s inner and social experience drives the story, reflecting the perspective of writer-director Valentina Maurel.
Films like I Have Electric Dreams, and why
The Virgin Suicides
shared intimate coming-of-age drama, adolescent emotional volatility, and difficult family relationships
Girlhood
shared female-centered adolescence, sensual unease, and psychologically complex parent-child dynamics
Fish Tank
shared raw teenage perspective, unstable family life, and naturalistic social realism
Aftersun
shared tender but abrasive father-daughter relationship and emotionally unsparing coming-of-age storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Valentina Maurel
- Release Date
- 2023-02-03
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (33)
Cast
- Daniela Marín Navarro
- Reinaldo Amien Gutiérrez
- Vivian Rodríguez Barquero
- José Pablo Segreda Johanning
- Mayté Ortega
- Adriana Castro Garcia
- Jeniffer Fernández
Common questions
- What is I Have Electric Dreams about?
- A sensitive Costa Rican teenager reaches for her estranged father while testing the unstable boundaries between dependence, desire, and adulthood.
- What is I Have Electric Dreams like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of I Have Electric Dreams as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is I Have Electric Dreams violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in I Have Electric Dreams as mild.
- What did critics think of I Have Electric Dreams?
- Critics broadly praised Valentina Maurel’s assured debut for its tough, sensual, emotionally sharp portrait of adolescent and family turmoil.
- Which films are like I Have Electric Dreams?
- Films with a similar feel include The Virgin Suicides, Girlhood, Fish Tank, and Aftersun.
- How long is I Have Electric Dreams?
- I Have Electric Dreams runs 104 minutes.
