[Film] Slumberland

Watched on: 01/22/2024

Reviewed on: 04/07/2024

Freud said that dreams are the fulfillment of wishes. It seems that dreams allow us to experience the satisfaction of desires that cannot be realized in reality, offering a sense of fulfillment. This film is a story about dreams, in which the girl and Philippe embark on adventures through others' dreams, all for the sake of a long-awaited goodbye.

Nemo is a ten-year-old girl living in a lighthouse on a small island with her father, enjoying a relatively happy life despite coming from a single-parent family. After her father dies in a fishing disaster, Nemo is to be adopted by her reluctant uncle, whom she has never met. The uncle, a reclusive man with no friends or childcare experience, takes her in to prevent her from going to an orphanage and tries to learn how to care for her. Despite his efforts, he struggles with learning from books alone. Nemo, missing her father, dreams of a place called Nightmare Sea, which her father had told her about, and meets an odd uncle, Philip, her father's adventure partner, seeking a dream treasure map that leads to a magical pearl granting wishes. Despite initial refusal, Nemo convinces Philip to join her on an adventure, alongside a pig, through various dreamscapes including one with a dancing woman, which distracts Philip. They face nightmares and dream police, revealing the uncle in reality is Philip, who had grown lonely and reclusive after Nemo's father left him for her mother. Dream police tell Nemo the pearl doesn't exist, shattering her hope of reuniting with her father in dreams. However, Philip reveals a family video, showing he is the uncle, having adventured with her father, which reignites Nemo's hope. They embark on a journey to find the pearl, facing challenges and ultimately confronting nightmares with bravery. In the end, Nemo wishes on a magical pearl to see her father again, fulfilling her journey by facing fears and challenges, and the uncle integrates Philip's adventurous spirit into his life, improving their relationship and ending his loneliness.

It is an excellent healing film that conveys the interconnected nature of saving and being saved through love and care. The main character saves her uncle's dream, while in reality, her uncle saves her. She breaks through her uncle's reclusive nature, and he, in turn, heals his sorrow.

Although the story is not very complex and the topic is common, I really like the narrative way and the visual expression of this movie. I cried multiple times when I watched it.