The Dreamers (2003)
This is basically cinema wank, and quite literally at that. Extremely self-indulgent with a group of young cinephiles being annoyingly pretentious about their love for the French New Wave and the film itself shamelessly follows that as well. A lot about this film is shameless, which is a big part of its appeal. Explicit sex scenes, challenging taboos and everything and everyone looks absolutely gorgeous. All that is basically nice wrapping paper, because the story is basically just three teenagers being home alone for a bit too long. The backdrop with the 1968 Paris student riots seems to add a political element, but it is mostly superficial. They don’t even seem to know or care much about it, as they just randomly join the protests. They just like the idea of it. In many ways this film feels like an extreme version of the classic French New Wave films, while also being self-aware that it is only pretending to be part of it.
Rating: 3.5