Film studies: What dreams may come
‘What dreams may come’ is a melodramatic film by Ron Bass with Robbie Williams in a lead role of Christy as a main character, featuring the whole set of themes including love, father-son relationships, death, madness and Heaven and Hell as religious notions.
The first thing a spectator’s attention is turned to is the problem of death and afterlife. The story conveys the author’s view of what Heaven and Hell look like. Basically, it can be divided into two logical parts – time when Christy explores his new home and the period when he goes for a rescue of his beloved Ann. Heaven is pictured as a result of one’s own dreams. In other words, a person’s afterlife above is the reality made of dreams came true. Hell, on the contrary, is not a vision of ‘fire and pain. The real Hell is your life gone wrong’ (What dreams may come). Hell is seen as a prison, where people are put by their fears and finally, go insane being buried under a pile too heavy to step over.
Another problem to dwell on is an understanding of your own personality. Where is the limit of realization of Me and not Me? ‘If you are aware you exist, then you are’, says Albert discussing with Christy what ‘me’ means. ‘Me’ is not a mere combination of flesh and mind because flesh disappears and mind breaks down. It is a whole system with feelings, touches, inner voice, plans, ideas and dreams. As long as you realize yourself as an individuality you continue to live. In other words, even if physical body ceases to exist, soul and its imprint never dies.
It is said that the person is alive as long as he is remembered. The thing is that in the film we see both sides – the earthly one and heavenly one. An invisible string is stretched through these worlds between Christy and Ann, between him and her memory about him and is pictured in a purple tree which appears simultaneously in both realms. To put it briefly, ‘Me’ and individuality have nothing to do with physical body. Body is a temporal ‘apartment’ for the inner world which continues to be in the form of memories, thoughts, things and feelings after physical death.
The last point to consider is how reality coincides with a dream. The title of the film makes the spectator think over this problem from the very beginning. The main character finds himself in an ideal world where he is put after death. Christy has created his bright, beautiful and clear canvas and was able to change anything and any moment. The person is something that he dreams of. Dreams are the reflection of the inner world. And throughout the story, as we get acquainted with the main character it becomes clear that his dreams correspond to what he is inside. A beautiful person – beautiful dreams.
Another significant moment connected with the theme of dreams is how they influence our reality. Needless to say that thought is material – we get what we think of. Albert notes that ‘Thought is real. Physical is the illusion’ meaning that reality will change instantly the moment you wish to change it (What dreams may come). All our deeds and undertakings begin with thoughts and dreams and, moreover, it is in our power to change the reality with a mere change of a thought.
Works cited
What dreams may come. 1998. 02 March 2014
< http://www1.zmovie.tw/movies/view/what-dreams-may-come>
What dreams may come. 02 March 2014 < http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889/>
