After Dreaming (2025) by Christine Haroutounian: A Hypnotic Journey Through War's Aftermath

Short Summary: A Surreal Odyssey Through a Scarred Nation "After Dreaming" is Christine Haroutounian's debut feature film, a highly stylized and poetic drama set in a post-war, pre-peace Armenia. The film follows a soldier named Atom who is tasked with taking a young woman, Claudette, on a road trip to shield her from the news of her father's death. Their journey evolves into a hallucinatory exploration of the psychological and cultural residues of war, blurring the lines between dream and reality, and questioning the nature of identity and freedom in a nation grappling with unresolved conflict.

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35437028/

Link Review: https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/after-dreaming-review-1236307175/

About movie: https://www.alief.co.uk/afterdreaming

Link to watch: (industry professionals): https://pro.festivalscope.com/film/after-dreaming

Detailed Summary: A Secret Journey Through a Traumatized Land

• The Unveiling of a Tragedy: The film begins with the death of Claudette's father, an itinerant well-digger, mistakenly killed by villagers in the Armenian countryside. To spare Claudette the immediate grief, her family enlists Atom, a soldier, to take her away until the funeral is over.

• A Road Trip into the Unknown: Atom escorts Claudette on a journey through the conflict-ridden Armenian landscape. Their interactions are often enigmatic, and the film focuses more on their internal states and perceptions than a linear plot.

• Dreamlike Vignettes: The narrative unfolds through a series of spellbinding, often abstract vignettes, steeped in the mythologies of war, nation, family, and religion. These scenes defy naturalism, creating a singular space-time experience for the viewer.

• The Pervasive Nature of War: Despite no direct battlefields or gunshots being shown, the omnipresent feeling of war infiltrates every aspect of their journey and encounters. Sacred rituals are transformed into military ones, suggesting how deeply conflict has permeated daily life.

• Blurred Realities: Claudette and Atom find themselves increasingly drawn to each other's mysteries as their journey becomes an intimate drift through scarred spaces. The film's visual style, with its fuzzy focus and distorted imagery, emphasizes a sense of unreality and dissociation.

Plot Summary: Escaping Grief, Confronting a Nation's Wounds

• An Unforeseen Death: In an Armenia still reeling from war, a well-driller is killed after being mistaken for an enemy. His family, determined to keep the tragic news from his daughter, Claudette, seeks out a soldier named Atom.

• The Arrangement: Atom is hired to take Claudette on a road trip, a deceptive mission to occupy her until her father's funeral is concluded. The next morning, Claudette finds Atom alone in her house, and he reassures her that her family is waiting at a remote monastery.

• An Evolving Relationship: As Atom and Claudette travel, their journey becomes less about a destination and more about their intertwined psychological states. Faces and places at the brink of disappearing come into existence as they fall away, reflecting a shifting reality.

• Surreal Encounters: The film features fragmented scenes and non-linear storytelling. A pivotal wedding scene, lasting over 15 minutes, exemplifies this with its ritualistic, musical rhythm and its transformation into a military performance by soldiers.

• The Weight of Memory and Trauma: The core of the film lies in the duo's exploration of Armenia's collective memory and trauma. Claudette seeks meaning in her life's ruins, while Atom grapples with the lingering effects of war, leading to a meditation on the fragile nature of freedom and identity.

Director's Vision: Cinema as Cultural Archaeology and Subjective Experience

• Defiance of Storytelling: Christine Haroutounian explicitly states her disinterest in traditional storytelling, preferring to use cinematic tools of vision, sound, time, and space to create an "experience" rather than a linear narrative.

• Hypnotic and Stylized Debut: As a debut feature, "After Dreaming" is noted for its highly stylized and hypnotic aesthetic, drawing viewers into a singular space-time.

• Exploration of Inner Worlds: Haroutounian aims to expose the personal inner worlds of her characters, troubled by the uncertainty and anxiety of life in wartime. This is a continuation of her approach in her award-winning short film "World."

• Abstracting Reality: The film employs strikingly original handheld cinematography with creative use of fuzzy focus, driving the imagery to the edge of abstraction. This visual style underscores the dissociated and unreal feeling of the world presented.

• Questioning Selfhood and Nationhood: Haroutounian's work delves into transnational life, ancestral inheritance, and the darker layers of humanity. "After Dreaming" is described as an odyssey of selfhood, drawing on the mythologies of freedom, family, and motherland, shaped by her own identity as a filmmaker working between Armenia and the diaspora.

Themes: War's Echoes and the Fluidity of Reality

• Post-War Trauma and Memory: The central theme is the enduring impact of war on individuals and a nation, even after official conflict ends. The film portrays how war "lingers in the bodies that survive it, in the silence between words, in the architecture of memory itself."

• Identity and Selfhood: The journey of Claudette and Atom becomes a quest for self-discovery within a fractured reality, exploring how personal and national identities are shaped by historical events and ongoing anxieties.

• The Nature of Reality and Dreams: The film constantly blurs the distinction between what is real and what is imagined or dreamt, reflecting the disorienting psychological effects of living in a state of prolonged uncertainty and trauma.

• Mythology and Cultural Inheritance: "After Dreaming" weaves in mythologies of war, nation, family, and religion, suggesting how these narratives influence perception and lived experience in Armenia.

• Freedom and Control: The narrative subtly interrogates the meaning of freedom and autonomy in a society where external conflicts and internal psychological states limit individual agency.

Key Success Factors: Innovative Cinematography and Immersive Experience

• Visually Captivating Aesthetic: The film's unique handheld cinematography and deliberate use of fuzzy focus create a distinctive and immersive visual language that is both tactile and abstract.

• Strong Central Performances: Veronika Poghosyan (Claudette) and Davit Beybutyan (Atom) are crucial to the film's success, carrying the emotional weight of the story through their nuanced portrayals.

• Atmospheric Sound Design: The film's sound design, combined with its visual elements, contributes significantly to its trance-like and ritualistic rhythm, drawing the viewer deeper into its unique world.

• Artistic Ambition: Haroutounian's fearless approach to challenging conventional narrative structures and her commitment to creating a "singular space-time experience" are key to the film's artistic impact.

• Timely and Profound Subject Matter: Despite its abstract nature, the film tackles highly relevant themes of war, trauma, and identity, offering a unique perspective on the human condition in a conflict-affected region.

Awards and Nominations: Berlinale Premiere and Festival Recognition "After Dreaming" had its world premiere at the 75th Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) in 2025, as part of the Forum section. It was also a notable entry in the Regional Competition of the 22nd Golden Apricot International Film Festival, where Christine Haroutounian's previous short film "World" won the Golden Apricot Stone Prize. Haroutounian herself has been recognized as one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film." The film's sales rights have been picked up by UK-France outfit Alief, following its Berlinale premiere.

Critics Reception: A Daring, Challenging, and Viscerally Evocative Debut

• Variety (Siddhant Adlaka): Praises Christine Haroutounian for wielding a "disembodied lens" in her "enticing feature debut," highlighting its hypnotic and highly stylized nature.

• British Film Institute (Sam Wigley): Describes "After Dreaming" as "the most transfixing, formally experimental first feature I've seen in an age," commending its unique approach.

• Cineuropa (Mariana Hristova): Notes that the film "attempts to expose on screen personal inner worlds, troubled by the uncertainty and anxiety that life in wartime causes." While praising its visual captivating nature and emotional impact in particular scenes, it also suggests that its "overall vague ideas, communicated in a perplexing manner, do not" always land for those seeking clear storytelling. It draws parallels to Tarkovsky's experimental approach but questions the lack of a "solid storytelling foundation."

• MovieWeb: Calls it a "haunting meditation on war, memory, and national identity," acknowledging that its "elliptical storytelling resists easy resolution" and its "slow pacing and use of focus" may be alienating for some, though it is artful. It effectively conveys that war "does not end with a declaration; it lingers in the bodies that survive it."

• Next Best Picture: States that "After Dreaming" "departs from typical logic, time, and space," and is "more about feeling than narrative," with cinematography that creates a "distorted feeling of unreality." It also notes that the lead actors do "a lot of heavy lifting to keep the film even somewhat engaging."

• Overall Summary: Critics acknowledge "After Dreaming" as a bold, formally experimental, and visually arresting debut feature. While its highly abstract and non-linear narrative may challenge some viewers, many laud its unique approach to portraying the psychological and emotional impact of war. The film is celebrated for its hypnotic quality, innovative cinematography, and its courageous exploration of complex themes, making it a significant work in contemporary independent cinema.

Reviews: An Intimate Drift Through a Nation's Psyche

• Festival Scope Pro: Describes the film as unfolding "like snatches from a fever dream, through spellbinding vignettes steeped in the mythologies of war, nation, family and religion." It praises the "strikingly original handheld cinematography" and the "ritualistic, musical rhythm" created by repetitions in speech, gesture, and action.

• MUBI: Highlights the film as a "hallucinatory odyssey through the mythologies of a nation in a state of permanent war," emphasizing its surreal exploration of the conflict-ridden Armenian countryside.

• Golden Apricot: Summarizes the plot as a journey where "faces and places at the brink of disappearing come into existence just as they fall away," underscoring the film's focus on impermanence and shifting realities.

• Overall Summary: Reviews emphasize the film's profound and often disorienting cinematic experience. They consistently point to its dreamlike quality, its unique visual style, and its deep dive into the psychological landscape of post-war Armenia. The film is seen as an intimate and challenging portrayal of collective trauma and the search for meaning in a fractured world.

Release date on streaming: To Be Announced As of July 2025, specific streaming release dates for "After Dreaming (2025)" have not been widely announced. Information on its availability on major streaming platforms will likely follow its festival run and theatrical distribution.

Theatrical Release: February 17, 2025 (Berlinale Premiere) "After Dreaming" had its world premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) on February 17, 2025, as part of the Forum section. It has since been featured at other international film festivals, including the Golden Apricot International Film Festival.

Why to watch this movie: A Unique Artistic and Emotional Experience

• Formal Experimentation: If you appreciate films that challenge conventional storytelling and push cinematic boundaries, "After Dreaming" offers a highly experimental and visually distinctive approach.

• Deep Psychological Exploration: The movie provides an immersive experience into the characters' inner worlds, offering a unique perspective on trauma, grief, and resilience in the aftermath of conflict.

• Cultural Insight: It offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the social and psychological landscape of post-war Armenia, exploring its myths, memories, and ongoing struggles.

• Artistic Cinematography: The film's innovative handheld cinematography and use of focus create a dreamlike and often abstract visual aesthetic that is both beautiful and unsettling.

• Thought-Provoking Themes: "After Dreaming" delves into profound questions about reality, identity, and the enduring impact of historical events, prompting viewers to reflect on universal human experiences.

Movie Trend: Experiential and Non-Linear Cinema "After Dreaming" is a prime example of a burgeoning trend in contemporary cinema that prioritizes experiential and non-linear storytelling over traditional narrative structures. This trend often sees filmmakers exploring themes through atmosphere, visual abstraction, and psychological depth, aiming to create a visceral and immersive experience for the audience rather than a straightforward plot. It emphasizes the subjective and emotional journey of characters, often employing experimental techniques to blur the lines between reality, memory, and dreams.

Social Trend: The Lingering Shadow of Conflict and Intergenerational Trauma The film directly addresses the significant social trend of the lingering shadow of conflict and intergenerational trauma in regions affected by prolonged warfare. It highlights how the psychological, social, and cultural impacts of war extend far beyond active combat, permeating the lives of individuals and communities for generations. "After Dreaming" explores the challenges of healing, memory, and the search for peace and normalcy in societies where the past continues to shape the present, a relevant reflection on many post-conflict societies globally.

Final Verdict: A Haunting and Formally Daring Debut "After Dreaming" is a haunting, formally daring, and profoundly atmospheric debut feature from Christine Haroutounian. While its non-linear narrative and abstract visual style may not appeal to all audiences, for those willing to embrace its unique approach, it offers a deeply immersive and thought-provoking experience. The film is a powerful meditation on the enduring psychological and cultural scars of war, using its dreamlike aesthetic to delve into the very fabric of memory, identity, and a nation's collective psyche. It solidifies Haroutounian as a distinctive new voice in independent cinema, creating a film that resonates long after the credits roll.