The Dream Children

New Australian film The Dream Children tackles topics of same-sex marriage and adoption rights. Now showing at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, the film had its world premiere recently and was well received. However, underlying the celebration was the sombre realisation that in the six years between shooting and the launch, not much has changed in the real world for same-sex couples.

At the premiere, scriptwriter and actor Angus Brown said he had thought by the time the film was released it would no longer be relevant. That same-sex marriage would no longer be an "issue", that same-sex families would be common place. Alas, the film is still just as relevant today as when it was filmed in 2009.

The story follows Alex and Steven, a gay couple who want to settle and become a family but find themselves constrained both by Steven's high-profile career and Australia's restrictive adoption laws. They appear to find an answer in Narine: a chain-smoking, pregnant, drug addict wanting to sell her unborn child. Of course this is a far-from-perfect solution and from here the conflict stems. The Dream Children is a love story, a drama, and an exploration into what is and what could be.

Now someone here is a fan of European cinema. From the 'un film di' title in the opening credits, to the slow pace on the narrative and drawn-out shots that focus on highlighting moments of inner conflict and emotion for our characters.

Long shots put a lot of pressure on a film: the score steps into the foreground and any unsteady acting could turn drama into awkward. Thankfully, the standard of acting is sublime, making those long pauses endurable.

Lead actors Graeme Squires and Nicholas Gunn both deliver stellar performances as Steven and Alex, respectively. Squires you may remember from Australian soap opera Home and Away in the late 1990s. He was certainly in his element with this dramatic piece.

Gunn is more of a surprise as he comes from a mostly theatrical background with sporadic television and short film appearances. His performance as Alex was nearly seamless. He brought complexity to what could have been a very flat and stereotyped character, and gave Alex a sense of humour that allowed the audience some welcome relief from those tense, dramatic moments.

Jessikah Brown playing Narine was also a find. Married to scriptwriter Angus Brown, Jessikah was drawn to the character, saying she felt Narine was misunderstood and therefore could be misrepresented as “just another junkie”. In preparation, Jessikah created an extensive backstory for the character and this shines through in her portrayal. Narine is certainly more intricate thanks to the casting of Jessikah.

While the narrative is engaging, the pace ambles along. There are a number of shots that could be considered gratuitous. Sometimes these felt like an exclamation point at the end of a point already drummed home. 

Scriptwriter Angus Brown

For example, when we first meet Narine she is unmistakably confronting. Chain-smoking with shaky hands and the blotched complexion of a heroin addict, she mumbles the news about being pregnant. The audience is clearly disgusted by this character; the desired effect has been conveyed. Yet then there is what can only be described as a poo-shot (I’ll let you imagine what that might look like). “See? She really is disgusting. Seriously” this shot seems to be telling us. Is it necessary? Debatable.

The other scenes accused of being superfluous are the numerous sex scenes between Alex and Steven. The film both starts and finishes with a wide, overhead shot of the couple mid coitus. The camera does not shy away; it is inquisitive as it draws closer, a third player in this intimate scene. Sexual gratuity is an age-old debate. Are the scenes too numerous? Are they too explicit? It may simply be a matter of personal taste.

For me, the majority of sex scenes worked to demonstrate the continuing intimacy between the couple, even in times of duress. There was only one sex scene that worked against the narrative. Excuse me while I speak broadly so as not to give any spoilers:

When Sam leaves, the couple have sex that night. To me, this conflicted with the nature of their characters and relationship. I’m sure many in the audience were also thinking “how could you have sex at a time like this?!”

Another interesting tidbit with the sex scenes was that at the end of the film we see Alex in ‘the happy baby’ yoga pose. I have no idea whether this was an intentional easter egg, but it gave me a laugh all the same.

The Dream Children is beautiful to look at, the characters are complex and intriguing, overall it is not just a film but an art piece. It does leave the viewer with questions, which can be frustrating for some, but also makes for great post-viewing conversations. This is a very real story about people trying to find normalcy in a world that wants them kept in the sidelines.

The Dream Children has a second screening at MQFF on Monday 30 March 2015. You can purchase tickets here.
Watch the trailer here.