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Some might criticize Allen and this film for its achingly bourgeois, on-the-nose sensibility. In my view, however, the somewhat flat (that is, normal) temperament of these characters rings very true, all the more because it feels obvious. Farrell and McGregor deliver remarkably nuanced performances in and through their mundane one-dimensionality. That is, they take average Joes and give them average strengths and weaknesses—something that in cinema is kind of daring. Unlike Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead—a film with a strikingly similar plotline but with far more extreme, depraved characters—Cassandra's Dream feels like it could actually happen. It was hard for me to believe that the two brothers in Lumet's film could be so cruel and cold-blooded, even in their desperate need. But Allen's film, though it sacrifices some flashy, high-impact drama, feels strikingly more authentic.

The stars with director Woody Allen on the set

The style of the film is similarly unembellished, with a few noteworthy flourishes here and there. Philip Glass's score is nicely attentive to the themes of moral disintegration, and the cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond is equal parts working class and luxuriant, full of contrast and smart mise en scène. There is a nice visual motif with greenery (shrubs, trees, etc), for example, that evokes the temptations of Eden (the two key moral decision scenes are photographed with the characters obstructed by greenery).

As with Match Point, the third act of Dream is the "punishment" part of the Dostoevskian binary. Ian and Terry must atone for their sins, which predictably have quite toxic spiritual/psychological consequences. Because guilt is so much a driving force of these characters' self-destruction, it is appropriately ironic that the ending is on the boat, out at sea, in the midst of a cleansing body of water. So much of the biblical language about the ridding of guilt has to do with washing it away (Heb. 10:22, 1 Cor. 6:11), and even if Allen's intent is less redemptive than restorative, it is nevertheless interesting that he ends the film here.

It's a reckoning of sorts, as Ian and Terry come face to face with their own human nature and flawed ambitions. The film starts out with man buying into a dream, and—as with all of our lives—it ends with him paying for it.

Talk About It

1. What do you think is Allen's point or "moral" with this film?
2. Why is Terry so much more conflicted than Ian or Uncle Howard about what they have done?
3. What do you make of the discussion between Ian and Terry about whether God exists? Why is the existence or non-existence of a God such an important question for them?

The Family Corner

Cassandra's Dream is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some sexual material and brief violence. Considering the subject matter (murder and cover-up), the film is relatively clean. There is not a lot of offensive language, only a few brief scenes of violence (mostly offscreen), and one or two mild sexual situations. That said, the material is very dark and the moral decisions of these characters are certainly not to be emulated.

Photos © Copyright The Weinstein Company

© Brett McCracken subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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