Dreams

Winner of the Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear.

We've all had a first crush as teenagers – someone we didn't want to tell anyone about them. For Johanne, it happens to be her French teacher, Johanna. She writes about this experience in her diary, which she ends up showing to her grandmother. Unfortunately, her diary is so well written that her grandmother wants it published as a book for everyone to read.

Dreams is the second installment in director Dag Johan Haugerud's Oslo trilogy, which explores relationships and sexuality. The focus here is on the generational differences in what it means to be a woman and to belong to a sexual minority. Johanne's relatives want to publish the diary so she can serve as a role model for other young people. However, Johanne herself does not want to be an example. She just wants to live her life. 

The light conflict of the film arises from this. Many young viewers will likely see themselves in a situation where their relatives expect something from them. Ultimately, the most important thing is to be true to yourself first—not to be an example for others.

Juho Lipponen