User Reviews

The production could be much better with even a lower budget. I can just feel that there are some sloppiness here and there. Also, the solo part of the leading actress is too straightforward.

I am of the idea that a movie should tell you a story, within its own terms and following its own rules, HOWEVER, keep it coherent or adhesive and it'll all go well... also, just like Wes Anderson can only do Wes Anderson movies, or Guy Ritchie can only do Guy Ritchie movies, the Cohen brothers, Christopher Nolan, etc. Etc. *only* David Lynch can do David Lynch.

I get it, maybe the intention of the movie is it to feel like a dream, with no coherence, vague, surrealist and confusing, but you have yo bind it all together with some intent... which is, what? Otherwise, is there a porpoise, *at all*, with this movie, other than confusing its audience?

If your kid is in this movie, you should watch it. Anyone else: no reason to subject yourself to it. Full confession: I came to this out of a crazy love for the Matt Dillon resurgence. More Matt Dillon, please. I read the poor reviews and thought maybe other viewers want formulaic Hollywood blah blah, whereas I actually enjoy go-nowhere indie films. But no: I was wrong and arrogant and the other IMDB users who wrote in before me to warn you were correct. This is so disjointed that it's not just that it has no clear beginning, middle and ending - there doesn't appear to be any point to ANY of it. And there are some lovely, talented actors in this - they were so wasted. Don't pile on to this train wreck. Save yourself!

The movie "Land of Dreams" should be called "Land of Nightmares". Absolutely nothing does work in this movie, the plot is vague, superficial, and without much to tell. The dialogues don't help either with absurd conversations and the actors seem to lack charisma, too dry, without feeling and soul. They literally look like aliens. But the worst in this movie are the set design, continuity and editing. There are too many to mention, but the dinner during a census interview was the worst.

The movie has a political theme but is totally lost with so much satire and symbolism. The direction, and soundtrack are a complete mess as well.

Ok, i admit it, i lasted only 25 minutes before i gave up on this mess, but this movie is so bad i couldn't watch another minute of it. Look, if you gonna make a movie, at least try to give me reasons to stay and watch it till you start unraveling your deep, meaningful and though provoking scenario that is supposed to amaze me..or something. Well, it's simply nothing for me. 25 minutes in and nothing, I mean absolutely nothing happened...not even a decent sentence or conversation. Oh ffs, come on...! Since I am not a movie director, or a screen writer, or whatever, I do not know what the heck happens in their meeting rooms, but I know this: this movies fails so bad at every turn it has given me digestion problems. Stay away from it.

This is an arthouse movie that only gets bad reviews because people don't get the style. Being arthouse is not a saving grace and it doesn't excuse a badly made movie. This does not fall in this category.

The style is clear and consistent. The storytelling is unique but not random. Look forward to an intriguing journey into the quirkiness of a semi-dystopian but still charming and uplifting movie.

The acting appears wooden only as a stylistic choice. It is not. The characters are complex and immaculately portrayed.

While there is a level of political commentary, it does not dominate. This is a movie about identity, self-awareness and sticking to one's own reality, regardless of the "reality" the status quo tries to push on you.

Oh, and full of beautiful imagery in New Mexico.

This is a great example of how you can engage an audience without giving the whole plot away in the first 10 minutes. The Directors feed you just enough info to keep you glued to the characters as they develop and expose their motivations, their strengths, and their flaws.

The film is fueled with great performances by Sheila Vand, Matt Dillon and William Moseley as 3 very different people looking for very different answers only to stumble into a world where the answers you were searching for may not exist.

It's a complex satire that demands you pay close attention to the characters. The reward is a rich complex film that will stay with you a long time.

Shirin Neshat is a celebrated visual artist famous for her multi-media installations at MOMA and elsewhere. Her visual hand is everywhere in this visually stunning film realizing a script by the great late surrealist, Jean-Claude Carrière (with Shoja Ansari). True to her other films, NeshaL resists providing easy and pat interpretations of her visual images or the storyline of the film. The visual settings of the film echo the title--Land of Dreams--with floating representations, starkly engaging characterizations, and varying contrastive landscapes. Sheila Vand is the accomplished "dreamer" and dream collector at the center of the film achieving multiple characterizations in a nuanced performance. Matt Dillon and Isabella. Rossellini add polished star power to the film. Mohammad. Ghaffari stands out and is immediately arresting as a mystical guide in a commune that may or may not be real. This is a film that should be seen more than once to plumb the depths of the emotional symbolism that is at the center of all dreams.

Shirin Neshat's Land of Dreams is a beautiful, witty, and fun journey of an Iranian immigrant in America, in a land where dreams and reality blend magically. The outstanding performance of Sheila Vand, Isabella Rossellini, and Matt Dillon, makes a perfect combination with Neshat's distinct and artistic way of storytelling.

It is a beautifully crafted film with stunning visuals. I strongly recommend it!

A stunning surrealist film written by Jean-Claude Carriere about a young immigrant woman's search for identity in America. The visuals are beautifully dreamy and Sheila Vand's strong performance is supported by a terrific Matt Dillon and impressive portrayals by Isabella Rossellini, Christoper McDonald, Anna Gunn, William Moseley, and Robin Bartlett. The film will linger in your mind long after you've left the theater.

Beautiful and moving tale of a young woman searching the sun-baked American South West for meaning and connection. Fantastic characters and insightful satire.

And to the reviewer looking for a *porpoise* in the movie, I'm sure there's a Flipper episode on TVLand for you.

As in all of Shirin's work, and in the true spirit of surrealism, the film poetically questions the known and the unknown and our understanding of reality and dream. This film stays with you for a long time as it touches on the issues of being an immigrant, an artist, a patriot, a rebel, and a wonderer in search of identity and dreams. Wonderful performances by all and specially by Sheila Vand and her captivating eyes.

I just loved this film. Much like a dream, it stays with you long after you leave it. The acting was phenomenal, the cinematography heartbreaking, and the message sublime. I see some comments have criticized this film for departing from a traditional narrative, but, that is exactly what I loved about it. This film shows you rather than tells you. It takes you, like Virgil, down the path. But it never tells you what the experience is, it leaves you free to have your own connection to the story and its meaning. That is J. C. Carrière's style and Neshat/Azari stayed true to this master writer's Mise-en-scène by allowing the audience to use their sense of wonder and imagination to draw conclusions. This film is a much needed departure from the cookie cutter virtue signaling nonsense coming from Hollywood and Indie cinema these days. Cant wait to see it again.

Land of Dreams is a wild ride, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's beautiful to look at. It will make you think and doesn't spoon feed the answers which is a plus for free thinkers.

I totally loved that film, from the first moments. The premise of this young woman from the census bureau, visiting people in their private home and asking them to share their dreams. Not sure anyone would trust sharing their dream or anything with the government.... Can we entrust them?

I loved the parody, farce, satyre, you may call it as you wish, as we travel through this American western landscape. It echoes playfully memories of Wim Wenders' Paris Texas, Lynch's Blue Velvet, mainly thankfully to a wonderful cast, Isabella Rossellini first and foremost bringing this to mind, linking it all together to a certain history of cinema. Of course we feel the surrealist touch from Jean-Claude Carrière tagging team with Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari. The result couldn't have been better. From a character who in the story puts herself in a very re-enacting Cindy Sherman way, to one of the last moment, where I couldn't help but think of Robert Smithson, I loved following all along these threads that might have been only in my head. I didn't want to escape that dream.