The film Dreams examines themes of desire, power, and violence through the complex and troubled relationship between Fernando (Isaac Hernandez), a young Mexican ballet dancer, and Jennifer (Jessica Chastain), a wealthy patron. The title is ironic, as the dreams discussed in the film do not lead to happiness but instead become tools for characters to descend into personal and emotional hell, driven by their desires and illusions. Fernando illegally joins Jennifer in San Francisco, where she secretly supports him behind her family's back, while he eventually grows restless, seeks more, and ultimately rebels and escapes from her. The film exposes the corrupt and imbalanced nature of their relationship, illustrated in a scene where Jennifer, upon discovering her sleeping and naked lover in her bed, calmly sits on a chair, silently contemplating him as if he were a valuable possession. Director Michel Franco portrays this relationship as one of domination, rooted in class contempt and anti-Mexican racism in the United States. In the first two-thirds of the film, Franco allows moments of genuine happiness between the lovers, even as their characters are portrayed as duplicates of each other. This narrative choice is designed to highlight the eventual emergence of violence and horror, which only become prominent in the last third of the film, particularly after Jennifer's family becomes involved. One such scene involves Jennifer's brother appearing in her dining room and discovering her affair with Fernando, who has recently been promoted to dance professor within the family foundation. The relationship between Jennifer and Fernando is portrayed with a certain ambiguity, blurring the lines between affection and control. Several scenes depict Jennifer's complex emotions—she is drawn to Fernando but seems unable to love him without ultimately bringing him down. Franco also creates a kind of mirror effect with his previous collaboration with Jessica Chastain, whose character in Dreams—a daddy's girl—contrasts with the role she played in Memory, a woman victim of incest who raised her daughter in a poor neighborhood of New York. This contrast reaches a peak in a sex scene on Jennifer's staircase, where the two lovers engage in a violent embrace, evoking memories of a long take in Memory that depicted the character's shyness and tremors, revealing hidden trauma. The presence of Jessica Chastain appears to have influenced Franco's direction, particularly in the ballet sequences during the second third of the film. Having joined the prestigious "San Francisco Ballet School," Fernando showcases his talent in the school's rehearsal studios, with sequences that momentarily soften the film's rougher tone. However, Dreams ultimately shifts toward a more conventional and darker ending, marked by violent scenes, which align with Franco's tendency for nightmare-like conclusions. Once the lovers are trapped in Jennifer's house in Mexico, their ordeal begins, though this final act is seen as somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless, it allows Jessica Chastain to display her acting range, moving from passionate love to restrained fury. Her portrayal of an unlovable heroine remains the most memorable aspect of this uneven film.