Cassandra’s Dream
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
2007
It has been a long journey for me to see this Woody Allen film. The film had a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, then it was in limited release in theatres – and boy do I mean limited. It was only there for two weeks. By the time I had time to go, it was gone. Then, the DVD release kept getting pushed back (so I had learned by then to not get excited about seeing this), and when the day finally came the shipment did not come in on its scheduled day! I ended up getting the film a week later, and hoped it was great, since it is not my habit to buy films before I see them. I was nevertheless fancifully surprised.
I must admit first, that I am not a huge Woody Allen fan, but I absolutely loved Cassandra’s Dream. This film has so much suspense built into it, you feel as though your DVD player will explode. Not to mention a very intricate, carefully constructed plot and character development. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor play two working class brothers who dream big, and face the consequences of their need to achieve their dreams by any means necessary. These two actors give fabulous performances (as usual), and finally these two are in a film together thus making it all the more enjoyable. Each of their performances are so emotionally driven, so perfect, they should not be overlooked, and what really shines here is the chemistry they have onscreen together that ties the entire film together. Woody Allen makes Cassandra’s Dream appear to be so simple and effortless on the outside, but deep inside it is intricate, sombre and well crafted. The juxtaposition of what the film appears to be and the it’s deeper meaning, give the film it’s beauty.
