The Dreamers

"Together nothing is impossible. Together nothing is forbidden."

2003 1h 55m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🥫

59%

ROTTEN

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 3,178🥫59%Rotten Tomatoes●63Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 140,589

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Isabelle and Theo invite Matthew to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and everything is possible.

“Together nothing is impossible. Together nothing is forbidden.”

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Cast

Michael Pitt
Matthew
Eva Green
Isabelle
Louis Garrel
Theo
Anna Chancellor
Mother
Robin Renucci
Father
Jean-Pierre Kalfon
Jean-Pierre Kalfon
Jean-Pierre Léaud
Jean-Pierre Léaud
Florian Cadiou
Patrick

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Writers: Gilbert Adair
Languages: French, English
Countries: France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States of America

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 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, shot by Fabio Cianchetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Pitt and Eva Green and Louis Garrel carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Together nothing is impossible. Together nothing is forbidden.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0309987 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bernardo Bertolucci directs. Fabio Cianchetti behind the camera. Jacopo Quadri cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 23 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
3International production across 4 countries: France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, shot by Fabio Cianchetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Jacopo Quadri shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Michael Pitt and Eva Green and Louis Garrel carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Together nothing is impossible. Together nothing is forbidden.".
8IMDB entry: tt0309987 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 24 themes, including "hotel", "first time", "paris, france", "love triangle".
10Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Fabio Cianchetti
Editing: Jacopo Quadri
Production design: Jean Rabasse
Costume design: Louise Stjernsward
Makeup / hair: Christophe Giraud
Sound: Mike Prestwood Smith
Stunt coordinator: Patrick Cauderlier
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $15,100,000
Return: 101% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NC-17
IMDB: The Dreamers (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes: 59% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 63/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 140,589 votes
MPAA: NC-17

Awards

2 wins & 11 nominations total

Also by

Bernardo Bertolucci

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-11
★ 6/10
It's Paris in the springtime, in 1968, and the students are revolting. "Matthew" (Michael Pitt) is visiting from the USA and he encounters the siblings "Theo" (Louis Garrel) and "Isabelle" (Eva Green) with whom he shares a fascination with movies. They invite him to their home for dinner just as their parents are heading off on trip. It's clear to the visitor that these two have a curiously intimate relationship. Not incestuous, but not a kick in the shirt off it. What now ensues sees "Matthew" ensnared in their games that have basically few holds barred - an orgy of the body and the mind fuelled by curiosity, lust and fine red wines. There is something quite unique about the way in which Bertolucci uses sex (and there's plenty of nudity and sex here) as a tool to explore the character of these three young - and beautiful - people, probing their limits and their ideals in a provocative fashion. Until the very end, I'm not sure the ongoing civil disobedience has much to do with this, indeed I thought maybe that was a way of trying to add some intellectual gravitas to a narrative that is often thinly contrived and consists largely of what would have to be described as soft-porn. It's shocking at times, but the characters are completely undercooked with Garell, especially, having little to do except gradually come to resent the burgeoning sexual relationship developing between his sister and the stranger. It's not a good film, but it is a brave film and may well mark the end of the application of Victorian attitudes and mores to 21st century cinema.

Production companies