“Dreams”, Interview with director Michel Franco

February 21, 2025

Michel Franco: “I’m interested in broken people and I don’t judge my characters, not even Jessica Chastain’s”

“Dreams”, Interview with director Michel Franco Chiara Nicoletti

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Michel Franco is back at the Berlinale with his new film “Dreams“ .

The film marks the second collaboration with actress and producer Jessica Chastain with whom he realized his previous movie, “Memory“.

By depicting a love story between a Mexican young dancer (ballet dancer and first time actor Isaac Hernández) and a philanthrope rich American woman played by Chastain, Franco shows his vision on the “wall” separating Mexicans and Americans and the perception of society towards immigrants and, on reverse, the more privileged ones.

The films shows how the immigrants coming from Latin America (and generally speaking, the whole majority of people going to seek a better life in another country) are perceived as parasites and call criminals when it’s often exactly the opposite: it’s the small percentage of privileged ones that suck other people’s energy.

“I’m interested in broken people and I don’t judge my characters, not even Jessica Chastain’s” says Michel Franco when talking about the starting point of the film.

The internationally renowned Mexican director then proceeds to describe his collaboration with Chastain and his discovering ballet dancer and now actor Isaac Fernandez.

Plot

Fernando (Isaac Hernández), a young ballet dancer from Mexico, dreams of international recognition and a life in the US.
Believing his lover, Jennifer (Jessica Chastain), a socialite and philanthropist, will support him, he leaves everything behind— narrowly escaping death in the process. However, his arrival disrupts Jennifer’s carefully curated world. She will do anything to protect both their futures— and the life she has built.

Written by: Chiara Nicoletti

Guest

Michel Franco