Romance is a difficult part of the human experience. It can be both painful and passionate. Jeremiah Kipp’s Love Beyond Dreams examines the concept of romance through its blend of musical and poetic elements.
Simin (Simin Vaswani) is an overwhelmed housewife caring for her son, Karan (Karan Vaswani). Her stressful day brightens when her husband, Harish (Harish Vaswani), takes her to an art museum for a night out. Leaving their son with a babysitter (Stephanie Garcia), Simin is able to spend time with her husband at one of her favorite spots. While at the museum, she sees a couple dancing in a Renoir painting. Simin daydreams and imagines herself as Charmaine (her imagined persona), who is in love with a Fred Astaire-like gentleman, Antoine (Stefan Badea).
In this imaginary world, she is able to live in a romantic fantasy where she is swept away in an elegant ballroom. Going through this dreamlike experience allows her to remember her real love for Harish. Once back in the real world, she is able to appreciate her husband and son with a new perspective.
“Leaving their son with a babysitter, Simin is able to spend time with her husband at one of her favorite spots.”
Love Beyond Dreams is able to capture the passion and sincerity of an Old Hollywood romance. If you love Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, this film is a perfect complement to it. The dream sequence features smooth choreography by Diana McDonald and debonair costume design by Reza Shariffi. These elements transport the audience away into this dream world. The dancers are given beautiful gowns of various colors, which recalls the type of detail one would see in a Classic Hollywood musical from the 1930s-50s.
While the film works effectively on both a story and production design level, there are a few flaws, like a few too many cuts to close-ups distracting from Diana McDonald’s fantastic choreography. Fred Astaire’s rule of thumb was never to make rapid cuts during a musical number. Also, a few original songs would have been nice. Hopefully, this film will be expanded into a full musical as it would strengthen the story and provide a deeper connection to understanding Simin’s point of view. Despite these minor flaws, Love Beyond Dreams is a charming piece that provides a little escape from the prevalent cynicism in the 21st century.
"…able to capture the passion and sincerity of an Old Hollywood romance."
