After Dreaming

Preceded by “Now That We Are Sending You to The End”

ERIC SAYS If you come to New/Next for pure-cinema experiences, look no further than Christine Haroutounian’s After Dreaming, a road trip movie like no other. Heavy themes of war and loss hang thickly in the air as we glide through meditative landscapes, lensed evocatively and even playfully. This is one of those otherworldly films in which outmoded notions of a “perfect” image are cast aside in search of something greater: the transcendent image. With soft-focus blurs and muted colors that bring to mind precedents like Mother and Son by Alexander Sokurov and Post Tenebras Lux by Carlos Reygadas (who executive produces here), Haroutounian and cinematographer Evgeny Rodin attain exactly that. Also well worth mentioning: After Dreaming’s depiction of the military—and one ecstatic musical number—also bring to mind Claire Denis’ Beau Travail. Don’t worry, I’m not tossing around these comparisons lightly—After Dreaming is the real deal, and emphatically belongs in elite aesthetic company.