Film review on "DREAM ON" By Gloria obeng BFATP28012

 

OBENG GLORIA 

BFATP28012

GROUP 5

Director: Lucas Testro 

Genre: Comedy / Sci-Fi

Runtime: ~11 minutes 52 seconds

Setting: In a world where time travel is a simple hospital procedure.

Actors: Richard,Young Richard,Larry,Dr.Beckett, Dr. Preston,Ingrid Miller.

THE BEGINNING 

The film begins with a reflective quote from Blaise Pascal: “Man’s greatest strength lies in his power of thought.” This immediately frames the story around the immense—and sometimes risky—potential of the human mind. We are introduced to two men seated uneasily in a waiting room. Their body language and facial expressions reveal discomfort and quiet tension as they wait for their turn to meet Dr. Beckett, a scientist overseeing a time-travel experiment.

One of the men, Richard, is consumed by dissatisfaction with his life. He carries a heavy sense of regret and is convinced that everything would have turned out differently if he had only persuaded his younger self to learn the guitar. In his mind, that one decision could have opened the door to fame, wealth, and a life filled with meaning.

Sitting next to him is Larry, who holds a more emotional perspective. He had previously traveled through time to bid farewell to his mother before she passed—a moment that gave him peace. Now, he’s considering another trip, but he’s more hesitant this time, aware of the risks involved.

When Richard is finally called in to see Dr. Beckett, she offers a serious warning. She explains that interfering with the past—especially by confronting one’s younger self—could trigger the emergence of multiple versions of himself. This could spiral into confusion, psychological strain, and the breakdown of his identity. But Richard is undeterred. He brushes aside her concerns, signs the consent papers, and receives a dose of the time-travel serum. With a newly added mustache to disguise himself, he readies himself to return to the past.

THE MIDDLE

Despite Dr. Beckett’s clear warnings, Richard chooses to go back in time. He lands on the day his younger self—just 10 years old—is celebrating his birthday. Eager to reshape his future, Richard tries to bond with Young Richard and immediately urges him to learn the guitar. He’s convinced that mastering music early will turn him into a famous rockstar, gain him popularity, and most importantly, help him win the heart of Ingrid Miller—the girl he once adored.

But Young Richard, still a carefree child, doesn’t grasp the idea. He’s more interested in his birthday games than impressing girls with a guitar.

When Richard sees that his plan isn’t working, he rushes back to the future, grabs a real guitar, and returns to the past to gift it to his younger self. But something unexpected happens—he sees his mother again. She is young, full of life, and exactly as he remembers her before everything fell apart.

Seeing her awakens deep emotions in Richard. At first, it’s warmth and nostalgia—but those feelings slowly twist into something unsettling and obsessive. His emotions blur the lines of memory and reality. As he continues jumping through time, the strain on his mind grows. Soon, multiple versions of himself begin to appear—each one more confused, frantic, and mentally fractured than the last.

THE ENDING

After all his efforts to change the past, Richard finds himself completely lost. His selfish use of time travel has created several versions of himself—each one a symbol of regrets and choices gone wrong. The boundaries between past and present begin to blur. Life becomes chaotic and disorienting. He’s now married to Ingrid Miller, the girl he once admired, and he has the musical talent he always dreamed of. But something is off. None of it feels earned or genuine. These changes didn’t happen through real growth—they were forced by manipulating time.

Now, his younger self, his mother, and different versions of himself keep appearing in his present-day life. Richard is confused about his own identity. Even though he has everything he once wished for, he feels hollow. This version of life—built through control, fear, and regret—brings him no peace. He feels like he has achieved everything and yet failed at the same time. What haunts him now isn’t just what went wrong, but what might have been avoided if he had simply accepted his original path.

In the final scene, Richard returns to the hospital and encounters the man from the beginning of the story—the one who used time travel to say goodbye to his mother. That man is now going through the same thing: dealing with fractured versions of himself, emotional confusion, and a disrupted reality. This last moment underlines the emotional cost of tampering with time. It leaves the audience with a powerful message: trying to rewrite the past often creates more damage than healing.

Protagonist: Richard

Richard’s story is a powerful reminder that regret cannot be undone—it must be endured. His journey illustrates how the pursuit of perfection can lead to greater emotional destruction

Richard is determined to rewrite his past in order to build a better future. He wants to win Ingrid’s love, repair broken relationships, and craft a more successful version of himself. However, his obsession with fixing the past only multiplies his problems. Each attempt to set things right through time travel unravels his life even further.

Antagonist as Inner Conflict and Immutable Laws

The true antagonist in this story is not another character—it’s Richard himself. His ego, poor choices, and selfish motivations become his undoing. By defying the natural laws of time and ignoring multiple warnings, he sets himself on a path of self-destruction. The conflict emerges not just from his actions but from his unwillingness to accept consequences, making time itself and the principle of cause and effect his greatest adversaries.

Persistence Through Turmoi

Despite repeated failures, Richard keeps pushing forward, unwilling to give up. He encounters a younger version of himself—hopeful, confident, and naïve. In a desperate attempt to rewrite his fate, he even brings his deceased mother back into his timeline. But the more he interferes, the more chaotic everything becomes. Multiple versions of himself exist at once, leading to confusion and emotional collapse. His mind begins to fracture under the weight of his own decisions.

A Moment of All or Nothing

The story reaches its peak when Richard is swallowed by the chaos he created. He loses his sense of identity, the people he cares about, and the life he once dreamed of. Ingrid, the woman he longed for, is now his wife in one timeline—but the joy he expected never arrives. The version of himself he aspired to become has vanished. This is the moment where he must either face the consequences of his actions or fade into the mess he created.

Resolution Through Acceptance

In the final act, Richard returns to the hospital, where a mysterious man once warned him. This return marks his acceptance of reality. He comes to understand that the past is not something to be rewritten, but something to be lived with. He realizes that shortcuts and second chances do not guarantee happiness. True peace comes from self-forgiveness and learning to move forward.

Story Themes

The film evoked a complex mix of emotions—humor, discomfort, reflection, and sorrow. What began as a light-hearted and absurd premise gradually turned into a deeper meditation on regret and identity. I initially laughed at Richard’s wild desperation, but by the end, I felt a deep sadness about how easily we can be trapped by our past. It made me reflect on my own experiences and the value of acceptance.

The opening, featuring a quote from Blaise Pascal, immediately set a contemplative tone. It then cuts to an awkwardly hilarious scene of two men discussing time travel in a waiting room—an unexpected and clever hook that grabbed my attention.

The film’s core message is clear: attempting to fix the past to secure the future often leads to greater turmoil. Regret is a heavy burden, but acceptance and self-growth are the real keys to change.

Richard was a well-rounded and believable character. His mix of ambition, guilt, and confusion made him relatable. Young Richard was equally convincing—brash and impulsive, as many 10-year-olds are. Dr. Beckett also stood out, embodying the weary, cautious doctor who understands the danger of tampering with time.

Visual and Technical Elements

The cinematography was simple yet powerful. Close-up shots in the cramped bedroom created an intense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere that amplified the emotional weight of the scenes. The visual contrast between Richard’s bright childhood home and the darker tones of the clinic reflected his internal conflict beautifully.

The dynamic between Richard and his younger self was especially compelling. Their arguments felt like a struggle between hope and despair—two sides of the same man in conflict. A quiet, tender moment with his mother added a deeply emotional layer to the narrative.

The soundtrack was intentionally minimal. Instead of dramatic music, the film used silence and ambient sounds to emphasize awkward pauses and bring out the film’s ironic humor.

Final Thoughts

This film surpassed expectations. What appeared to be a quirky comedy revealed itself to be a thoughtful exploration of regret, identity, and the human tendency to chase the impossible. I highly recommend this short film. It’s not just entertaining—it’s emotionally resonant and thought-provoking.