Film Review – Mean Dreams

The oddly titled “Mean Dreams” is reminiscent of “Mud,” the 2013 Jeff Nichols picture that explored adolescent awakening in the great outdoors while maintaining suspense from troublesome adults. While it doesn’t share the same poetic qualities, “Mean Dreams” has a compelling way with young hearts blurring critical decision making skills, with director Nathan Morlando maintaining a consistent mood of contemplation and confrontation, filling up the effort with enough feeling and tension to satisfy. Morlando does an excellent job tapping into the thought process of a juvenile in love, sustaining that behavioral authenticity as it snowballs out of control, allowing the story to feel energetic when it’s actually formulaic, finding the helmer skilled enough to reanimate clichés. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com