Land of Dreams

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!

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.

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.

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.