Dream Interpreter
Comedy, Short Films, 16-Jan-2024
After a series of bizarre dreams, a man turns to a computer program to decipher them. Derek Janzen and Nathan Hare work together to direct “Dream Interpreter,” a subdued sci-fi comedy where an oddly mundane cubicle world meets the anguished dreams of a young man. In khakis and a baby blue button up, we meet Matthew Nelson during the middle of a dream where he’s lured off by a barista into the woods. During reality, he tends to a job where he ‘comes to work, sits at a desk, and uses a computer.’ On an early Macintosh, he uses CD-ROM software to interpret his dreams — he’s told by his computer to learn how to play the guitar to win back ah an ex-lover. As Matthew navigates awkward social interactions with an eager colleague and tries to learn the guitar, his aspirational answers become more unclear. Along with a deadpan performance by co-director Nathan Hare, the film’s synthesizer score and static framing animates the film’s surreal movements. -JM. Director: Derek Janzen, Nathan Hare. Cast: Nathan Hare, Aaron Read, Malik Elassal, Rachel Schaefer, Carter Selinger, Arghavan Jenati. DP: Derek Janzen. Writer: Nathan Hare. Producer: Matt Kingcroft. Boom Op: Jack Lamming. Sound Mix: Cody Flynn. Script Supervisor: Alistair Ogden. Graphic Design: Drake Pickel. Music: Shabason, Krgovich & Harris, Aaron Charles Read, Derek Janzen.