On top of having the mystery take way too long to be revealed and losing the impact in the process, Alone With Her Dreams is also the kind of film that makes one want to fast forward through it. There are many scenes with unessential poses and quiet moments that are obviously supposed to bring depth but just obnoxiously stretch everything out that it becomes tedious to watch.
Although one might say, the interesting thing about this film is the fact that instead of focusing on the people who emigrate/immigrate for work, it cleverly tells the story of the ones that stays behind waiting to hear from their family in an era when a phone call was a luxury and you had to be tough because the world was evil. But that does not make the pacing issues any less frustrating. In addition, it’s hard to know who to blame for the characters feeling so one-dimensional.
“…it’s hard to know who to blame for the characters feeling so one-dimensional.”
The Italian drama mostly looks and sounds fine, with okay-to-good cinematography, although the filmmakers could’ve done without the yellowish filter to make it look old for us to tell the past from the present. They really should have trusted the audience on this one considering the production design, with all of its authentic-looking sets and props, did a pretty good job. However, the project benefits from the beautiful transporting natural sceneries that are definitely righting some wrongs.
In the end, Alone With Her Dreams is a movie we’ve probably seen a few times before about current issues and how problems get passed from one generation to the next. It is a bit generic, but it is mostly benign, and it will surely please those relating to this way of life or looking for that sort of nostalgia. But for the rest of us, it will be mostly unmemorable, if not for the pretty views.
"…will surely please those relating to this way of life..."
