Daydream Nation and Enjoying the Moment: A Movie Review

*a screener of this film was provided by MPRM for review purposes.

Director/writer: Michael Goldbach.

Daydream Nation is a Canadian shot romantic drama, which was produced by Michael Goldbach over a six year period. Getting his first film just right, there are themes here of perfection, while a serial killer looms just out of camera range. Anchor Bay Entertainment recently released this title on to DVD and Blu-Ray, May 17th, and Daydream Nation is a coming-of-age film, with Kat Dennings playing a cunning woman, outfoxing the desirous men in her life. Dramatic and interesting, this film uses a great deal of character interplay to keep the attention, while the film offers some deeper, yet almost unreachable themes of temporality.

Caroline (Dennings) is the new girl at a local high school. Her mother recently passed away and her father struggles to fill dual roles. The film centrally focuses on Caroline, while a sidebar distracts from the main story. A serial killer is stalking young children and ending their lives, for an unknown reason. Not shown until the finale, this character is a big part of the climax, but only a small part of the film. His inclusion seems to show and contrast the other insanity of the characters, including Caroline, who is often moody. As well, an English teacher is mildly off-kilter and he proves his instability by shooting himself, after a parting with Caroline. While the serial killer is on the extreme of insanity in the film, other characters show their unevenness, too.

The protagonist, Caroline, is searching for some kind of connection and she finds this with her older mentor and teacher Barry (Josh Lucas), who she seduces. This is a forbidden passion, which lasts briefly and she later finds a more compatible mate, in Thurston (Reece Thompson). In each of her romantic encounters, Caroline seems to be mostly outmatching her male counterparts. She is wise beyond her years and Dennings brings out Goldbach's character through her sly wit and partial aloofness. This character and the actress hold center stage through much of the film.

There is some tension created from the periphery, with the murdering villain; yet, there are only a few tones of mystery and suspense within Daydream Nation. Sorry horror fans, this film is not for you. However there are dramatic tones here and this film is important for showing how an independent Canadian film can show polish. Daydream Nation is centrally a romantic drama, with a love triangle solidifying the film's genre and this is a complex film, which will reach many viewers. Rarely serious, this is a film that is enjoyable for its use of light tones, including comedy. This energy allows the film to develop at a careful pace, culminating in a mild climax and a final message of temporary mortality.

Daydream Nation was filmed in Fort Langley, British Columbia and this film is recommended for those seeking something off the beaten path. This film might be best for couples, but the coming-of-age story is universal. Seek this one out, as your efforts will be well rewarded by Goldbach's character driven story of a young girl searching for meaning, through the men in her life.

Directing techniques/camera use: 8 out of 10 (lots of creativity here).
Writing/plot/story: 8 out of 10 (there are a great number of characters and diverging and converging motivations, interesting and rewatchable).

Overall: 8 out of 10.

*the film's title is possibly lifted from a Sonic Youth album.