A teen bounty hunter is torn between helping or capturing a seductive fugitive bank robber hiding in his small town during the Great Depression.
While the Dustbowl and the Great Depression serve as nothing more but a circumstantial justification for the fugitive Allison Wells (Margot Robbie) and her morally questionable decisions, the film’s strength is found in how she and Eugene Evans (Finn Cole) find each other and choose companionship at the risk of losing all that they know. While “Dreamland” presents itself as a castle in the sky, the title is deceptive and hides a hopeless narrative of star-crossed lovers.
The film introduces a young man named Eugene Evans who formulates a plan to capture the latest bounty set out for an Allison Wells, a criminal accused of robbing a bank and murdering a 9-year-old girl in cold blood. Lo and behold, Allison is delivered right to Eugene’s doorsteps and they start to share a trust that eventually builds a plan to escape to Mexico. The premise is simple, but the situation gets complicated as the line between criminal and civilian blurs due to a growing affection for each other. Soon, a fantasy unfolds where Eugene and Allison could even be happy together, without worries and without the chains of reality that limit their opportunities for wealth and freedom.
Finn Cole carries Eugene Evans with a fairly dry performance as his mediocre acting fails to ignite anything more than the comfort of watching an attractive face mimic the actions of falling in love with naive bravado. No amount of desperation or tragedy in the script translates into his character, which fails to grow beyond the perspective of an immature boy infatuated with the shallow promises of love and its adventures. The lack of character development or nuance in Eugene Evans further damages Cole’s capacity to prove himself in roles that go beyond the stereotypical archetypes of privileged white boys in a constant search for “something more.”
On the other hand, Margot Robbie elevates the narrative by exploring themes of guilt, shame, and seduction of power in her character. What started as an opportunity to take advantage of a naive boy and escape her fugitive status turned into an unexpected relationship where Allison begins to reflect on her losses and repent for her past. Robbie remains charismatic in her representation of a character who pivots back and forth in her moral compass and is in a constant state of flux between self-forgiveness and nostalgic regret.
The film is a sad attempt at the thriller category as the cinematography buildup fails to create synergy with the usage of stereotypical thriller background music. A scene does not gain tension by simply adding screeching violins and an artificial buildup of white noise. Rather than a thriller, the film could’ve been stronger by staying consistent with its drama category, focusing more on the emotional turmoil of each character than an overdramatic usage of sound.
“Dreamland” is a film that seems to depend more on Margot Robbie’s reputation than fully develop dimensions in the different relationships that permeate its cinematic space. There was potential in deepening the exploration of toxic parent-child relationships which was relinquished at the expense of a superficial romance – all of which fails to create impact against the monologue that is Margot Robbie. While the romance comes from a place of genuine heart, the execution fails to captivate the surrealism of love and its drugs as the climax resolves itself like a deflating balloon.
Now available on Digital and on Blu-ray and DVD January 19th
