Director: Nathan Morlando
English 108 minutes
Principal Cast: Sophie Nélisse, Josh Wiggins, Bill Paxton, Colm Feore
With Edwin Boyd (aka Citizen Gangster), winner of the Best Canadian First Feature prize at TIFF, Nathan Morlando established himself as a director to watch. With his second feature Mean Dreams he more than delivers on that promise, crafting an emotionally powerful film about two young lovers on the run from their respective pasts.
The life of teenage Jonas Ford (Josh Wiggins) is dominated by his father’s struggle to keep the family farm afloat and his mother’s ongoing battle with severe depres- sion. When Casey Caraway (Sophie Nélisse) moves in a few miles down the road, the two click immediately — but while most parents would be happy to see their children find companionship, Jonas’ father sees Casey as someone who distracts Jonas from his duties, while Casey’s father Wayne (Bill Paxton), an alcoholic prone to explosive and sometimes violent outbursts, sees Jonas as competition. Making things worse is the fact that Wayne is the town’s new deputy, and the sheriff consid- ers domestic abuse to be a household matter. With nowhere to turn, the young lovers are soon faced with an impossible decision.
Atmospherically shot by Steve Cosens (Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster, The Tracey Fragments), one of Canada’s finest cinematographers, Mean Dreams percolates with a sense of both promise and dread, the vaunting sky above the lovers’ heads signifying limitless possibility even while serving as a grim reminder of their seemingly inescapable pasts. Drawing fine performances from the veteran Paxton and especially his young leads Wiggins and Nélisse, Morlando creates a sensitive portrait of the dilemmas facing young people trapped by circumstance and history.
Morlando draws great performances out of his two young leads ... who are like fugitives out of a French New Wave film, discovering love while also hatching a plan on the run.
—Peter Howell, The Toronto Star
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