Dreams (Sex Love) (2024) by Dag Johan Haugerud - A Luminous Canvas of First Love and Family Reflections
- dailyentertainment95
- Aug 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 24
Short Summary – A Diary’s Warm Pulse
Catchy Title: When Words Weave What Hearts WhisperJohanne, a thoughtful 17-year-old, writes a manuscript about her crush on her French teacher. What begins as a private confession subtly shifts into shared territory when her mother and grandmother read it, turning her intimate expressions into a mirror reflecting their own long-buried desires.
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30810787/
About movie: https://m-appeal.com/catalogue/dreams
Link to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/ch/Film/drommer (Swtzerland), https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0L50BAQW36NX5MSN6NY4213PBN/ref=dvm_src_ret_br_xx_s (Brasil)
Detailed Summary – Ink-Warmed Longing and Generational Echoes
Johanne’s infatuation and creative outlet: Rather than confronting her feelings in person, Johanne builds a parallel emotional world through her writing. She captures small, intimate details — the way Johanna smiles during lessons, the comforting texture of her clothes — elevating everyday moments into poetic fragments.
Family discovery and emotional ripple effect: Her mother and grandmother stumble upon the manuscript. Their initial reaction — a mix of discomfort and concern — slowly shifts into recognition. They see themselves in Johanne’s words, recalling their own first loves and missed opportunities, and questioning the ways they’ve navigated their own desires.
Blurred lines between truth and invention: The film intentionally leaves it unclear whether Johanne’s account is factual or embellished. Voiceover narration and dreamlike visuals create a space where memory, longing, and imagination intermingle.
Atmosphere as emotional language: Haugerud’s Oslo is one of woollen scarves, warm-lit rooms, and snow-muted streets. The setting becomes a silent partner in Johanne’s story, holding the intimacy and vulnerability of her feelings.
Director’s Vision – Emotional Openness as Quiet Revolution
Inspired by Kieślowski’s trilogy concept, Haugerud structures Dreams as part of a three-film cycle connected by a single conversation but exploring different lives and perspectives.
Influenced by Frederick Wiseman’s observational style, he lets characters reveal themselves without excessive editorial intrusion.
His aim here is to reclaim the emotional intensity of youth, portraying it not as melodrama but as a legitimate and formative experience.
As the first installment of the Oslo Stories trilogy, it sets a tone of radical tenderness — approaching sensitive subjects with empathy and restraint.
Themes – Memory, Desire, and Intergenerational Reflection
Coming-of-age longing: The focus is less on scandal and more on the universality of a first emotional awakening — how every detail feels heightened and unforgettable.
Emotional truth over factual accuracy: Whether Johanne’s story is literal or imagined matters less than the sincerity of what she feels.
Generational mirrors: The mother and grandmother’s responses suggest that desire and self-discovery are not limited to youth — and that each generation wrestles with its own silences.
Fluid identity and attraction: The film resists defining Johanne’s desire within rigid categories, allowing it to remain open, evolving, and personal.
Key Success Factors – Subtlety with Lasting Impact
Ella Øverbye’s performance: Her quiet voiceover and nuanced expressions make Johanne’s internal life vivid and relatable.
Visual intimacy: Soft light, close-up textures, and understated design create a sensory connection between audience and character.
Layered storytelling: By showing how Johanne’s writing affects three generations, the film expands from a single love story into a meditation on how desire shapes identity across time.
Tone and restraint: Haugerud sidesteps sensationalism, letting emotional authenticity take precedence over plot twists or shocks.
Awards & Nominations – Golden Bear and International Recognition
Winner of the Golden Bear at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival — the first Norwegian film to claim the honor. It also earned the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Guild of German Arthouse Cinemas, cementing its place as one of 2024’s most celebrated European films.
Critics Reception – A Whisper That Resonates
The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw): Rated 4/5 stars, calling it “cunning, chatty, and playful” while praising its refusal to trivialise adolescent emotions.
The New Yorker: Hailed it as “a lyrical comedy about teenage infatuation” with remarkable emotional precision.
International Cinephile Society: Praised its naturalistic dialogue and openness, avoiding over-romanticisation.
Overall: Critics agree that Dreams turns a modest premise into a layered, emotionally intelligent work.
Reviews – Audience and Critical Impressions
Journey Into Cinema: Compared the viewing experience to “a warm bath,” citing its textures and voiceover as deeply immersive.
The Film Verdict: Praised the integration of narration into the visual language, making Johanne’s interiority tangible.
The Irish Times: Highlighted its intergenerational dialogue and ambiguity, noting its deliberate, contemplative pace.
Overall Summary: Seen as tender, truthful, and atmospherically rich — a film whose quietness is part of its strength.
Release Date on Streaming – Awaiting Wider Availability
Not yet available on major platforms in Norway, Sweden, or Denmark. Currently streaming in Switzerland on filmingo and Cinu with local subscriptions.
Theatrical Release – From Oslo to the World
Debuted in Norwegian cinemas on 4 October 2024, premiered internationally at the Berlin Film Festival on 19 February 2025, and toured major festivals in Hong Kong, Sydney, and Karlovy Vary.
Why to Recommend Movie – Gentle, Thoughtful, Resonant
Emotion over spectacle: Focuses on honesty rather than shock value.
Literary voice made cinematic: Turns the intimacy of a diary into a visual and auditory experience.
Cross-generational resonance: Speaks to both young adults and older viewers reflecting on their own pasts.
Critically acclaimed yet accessible: Award-winning but emotionally direct and relatable.
Movie Trend – Intimate, Literary Coming-of-Age
Aligns with a recent wave of voice-driven, atmosphere-rich coming-of-age dramas that prize inner life and subtle emotion over conventional plot arcs.
Social Trend – Love Beyond Labels
Reflects a wider cultural embrace of emotional fluidity and the complexity of attraction, moving beyond rigid identity definitions.
Final Verdict – A Touch, a Word, a Quiet Revolution
Dreams (Sex Love) transforms a private teenage diary into a universal meditation on love, memory, and the legacies of desire. Through Haugerud’s gentle direction and Øverbye’s authentic performance, it becomes a reminder that our earliest longings — whether fulfilled or not — shape who we are in ways that echo across a lifetime.
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