Dreams

2024 1h 51m NO

👍

6.9

SOLID

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 105●81Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 3,482

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Johanne falls in love with her teacher and records her fantasies and feelings in writing. Together with her mother and grandmother, they debate the literary potential and whether to publish it.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Apple TV StoreRent

Apple TV StoreBuy

Cast

Ella Øverbye
Johanne
Selome Emnetu
Johanna
Anne Marit Jacobsen
Karin
Ane Dahl Torp
Kristin
Andrine Sæther
Anne
Silje Breivik
Elise
Lars Jacob Holm
Psychologist
Valdemar Dørmænen Irgens
Thomas

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dag Johan Haugerud
Writers: Dag Johan Haugerud
Languages: Norwegian
Countries: Norway

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "Oslo Stories Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, shot by Cecilie Semec. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Anna Berg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jens Christian Fodstad shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ella Øverbye and Selome Emnetu and Anne Marit Jacobsen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt30810787 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dag Johan Haugerud directs. Cecilie Semec behind the camera. Anna Berg scores. Jens Christian Fodstad cuts. Produced in Norway. Dialogue in Norwegian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 2 years ago.
2Part of the "Oslo Stories Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, shot by Cecilie Semec. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Anna Berg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jens Christian Fodstad shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ella Øverbye and Selome Emnetu and Anne Marit Jacobsen carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt30810787 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Cecilie Semec
Original score: Anna Berg
Editing: Jens Christian Fodstad
Costume design: Ida Toft
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $378,128
Original language: NO
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Dreams (2024)
Metacritic: 81/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 3,482 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

7 wins & 15 nominations total

Golden Bear

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Oslo Stories Trilogy

A film trilogy consisting of three loosely connected stories that in different ways depict sexuality, longings and dreams in Oslo today.

Also by

Dag Johan Haugerud

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-09-17
★ 6/10
Diarist "Johanne" (Ella Øverbye) is coming to the end of her school life when she takes quite a shine to her French teacher "Johanna" (Selome Emnetu). It's clear that there is an element of reciprocity here and the younger girl, in the throes of her first real love, writes down some of their experiences together in a book that she shows to her writer grandmother (Anne Marit Jacobsen). She is somewhat unnerved by the detail of the story but she is also impressed by the writing style and the candour and so considers that the best thing to do is to pass it on to her daughter "Karin" (Ane Dahl Torp) who is equally concerned that there might be elements of "grooming" going on here, but who is also aware that what she is reading displays a maturity that belies the years of a seventeen-year-old, and that suggests that there might be something more profound to the relationship - if she can distinguish between what is fact, and what might just be youthful exuberance spilling from her imagination onto her page. I think my plausibility issues with this stemmed from the fact that I couldn't really get from my head just how I would have reacted if this were to have a boy and a male teacher. What might our judgements and conclusions have lept to and would his grandmother or mother have been anywhere near so indulgent when reading of such an ambiguous but potentially criminal relationship? It was that potential inconsistency that dogged me somewhat throughout this gently paced look at the effects of adolecense and though I felt Øverbye was perfectly proficient here, I wasn't bowled over by any of the other performances nor the writing and the film had a certain complacency to it that seemed to assume that the watcher would be sympathetic enough - or at least open-minded enough - to play along with a plot that shrouds something really quite disturbing in a mist of youthful romance and/or a desire to be professionally "supportive". Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, or maybe not enough - but it treads an uncomfortably fine line and for me it lacked any real sense of passion or even credibility.

Production companies