Film Review – Dreamin’ Wild

Writer/director Bill Pohlad has a real affinity for stories about musicians, especially tortured ones dealing with a lot on their minds. In 2014, Pohlad explored the Brian Wilson experience in “Love & Mercy,” and he returns to the world of psychologically troubled artists in “Dreamin’ Wild,” which is based on the true story of the Emerson Brothers, who, in 1979, released their one and only album, watching a vision for music world success evaporate soon after. It’s a profound tale of guilt and regret, and Pohlad handles it all very carefully. He’s making a soft film about an easy listening band, trying to be comforting while examining distressing feelings of failure. “Dreamin’ Wild” doesn’t charm with its leisurely pace, but Pohlad has command of the material’s heart, getting into deep, complicated emotions over the run time, working to understand mental spaces of people newly confronted with their past, and all the stinging pain and lost potential that comes with it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com