Film Journal 2024: Dreamin Wild

Film Journal 2024: Dreamin Wild
Directed by Bill Pohlad

I’m a big fan of Casey Affleck, and this story about a middle aged man coming to realize his dream to make music and be successful later in life hits at my own once upon a time ambitions and dreams as a musician. Which is to say, this had all the marks to really land for me and yet found a way to slip under the radar. Given that its now widely available through borrowing and rental platforms, it’s a good opportunity to catch up with this hidden gem. The fact that it came and went without much notice is especially surprising since the Director gave us one of the all time great films in Love and Mercy.

One of its best and most genuine qualities is its decision to keep the story quiet, avoiding the trappings of elevated and sensationalized drama. One of the big through-lines here is that we are made of our dreams, but much of the time those dreams express themsleves in different and unexpected ways over the course of time. Thus how the middle aged man comes to realize his teenage ambitions isn’t the stuff of happily ever after and grand fireworks, but rather something far more subtle and expressive. Here the film captures that real sense of how life works, and there is a beauty to the composition, the script written like a song with ebbs and flows and choruses and bridges.

The music in the film is also fitting as it captures and reflects that real singer-songwriter vibe. It has an earthy feel indicative of that indie record that has its followers but not a ton of fame.

There are a few moments here and there that feel a bit rough around the edges or which veer into the tell rather than show type plotting. But most of this is content to sit in the space of its simple narrative arc and let the interplay between the younger and older self do the emotional work and heavy lifting. The end result is an inspiring story that sings its own unique tune, proving that the best art is sometimes found in those hidden and hard to find spaces just waiting to be discovered and uncovered.