Beautiful Dreamer

Introduction

Beautiful Dreamer, directed by David Gaddie, is a science fiction short film adapted from Ken Liu's short story, "Memories of My Mother." The film chronicles Amy's life through intermittent visits from her mother. Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Amy’s mother undergoes an experimental treatment based on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. This treatment allows her to extend her life expectancy from two years to approximately eighty, enabling her to witness her daughter’s growth. However, this temporal manipulation means that Amy's mother is only able to see Amy at certain points in her life, often disappearing for years in between these visits. The short film depicts the moments in which they are reunited, as Amy grows from childhood to adulthood to old age.

Analysis

It can be said that opposing themes attract one another. Sadness amongst a happy story is more powerful than a tragic story alone. Gaddie utilizes this idea to depict the bond between Amy and her mother. We see this first in the setting of the film. Despite the plot taking place over decades, we see each scene depicted among a background of winter. Not only is the film set in winter, the lens of the film is altered with a grey/blue-tinted filter. The full scheme of the colors that are used are dulled slightly, making the mother the only character to stand out, clad in bright red. The cold, grey, wintry landscape provides an apt juxtaposition to the warmth radiated by the mother and the love between mother and daughter. In fact, Gaddie begins the film with a montage of mothers and babies within nature. He shows animals, vulnerable and innocent, being protected from the harsh elements of winter by their mothers. Gaddie then cuts to Amy and her mother. Immediately, the mother stands out in a bright red coat, red stockings, and high heels. As Amy’s mother leaves for the first time, she passes a young Amy to her father, who is clad fully in grey and black, a stark contrast to the brightness and warmth of Amy’s mother.

Another prominent visual motif of the film is Gaddie’s use of doors. In the scene where Amy is depicted as a teenager, we see Amy, her father, and her mother entering, exiting, opening, slamming, and knocking on doors. In almost every frame at the beginning of the scene, doors are being opened and closed, and tensions are high. Because of this, the setting continues changing. We go between the hallway, to Amy’s room, to the father’s room. In doing this, Gaddie represents the feeling of being drawn into the minds of these different characters. It feels as though Gaddie is pulling the audience back and forth into different areas of the home, the camera constantly moving and changing. Each time the doors are opened and closed, the camera cuts and the audience is left wondering where the focus will shift to next. While the characters are being shut out, the audience is forced to be present, going exactly where Gaddie thinks they need to be, in whichever character’s feelings are most prominent in the moment. Think of the phrase, “Where one door closes, another opens”. Gaddie uses this in a stressful, almost over stimulating way, leaving the audience wondering which door will ultimately be left open or closed. A door itself is an invitation in, or an abrupt goodbye. A door is an opening to opportunity, or a security blanket for privacy. What better way to exhibit our characters’ inner turmoil of solitude versus acceptance than using the door as a symbol? Ultimately, the door remains open for the mother to continuously enter into Amy’s life, and Amy continuously lets her in.

Amy continues to let her mother in at various points in her life, and their interactions provide a reprieve from life’s struggles. However, the overarching turmoil that Amy faces is still prominent in each scene. While Liu’s short story touches on these life struggles through narrative and Amy’s reminiscing, Gaddie instead focuses them on dialogue. For the purposes of a film adaptation, this makes more sense when writing the script. However, in the context of the story, it actually feels more palpable that Amy is saying these feelings out loud to her mother. Their relationship feels more real, as opposed to Amy feeling these things more on her own, with her mother roaming in the background. In one scene, we see the mother wipe a tear from Amy’s eyes. It is vulnerable and a subtle but impactful representation of a mother’s love. From the confusion of teenagehood, to her divorce as an adult, the death of her father, and her isolation from her own children in old age, we always see her interactions with her mother as a constant. Despite the character’s individual turmoil, their bond is a reminder of unwavering connection.

The film ends with Amy at age 80. She and her mother have their final interaction, a full circle moment in which the mother’s initial goal is achieved, and Amy has been able to spend a lifetime with her mother. The film is a beautiful adaptation of love persevering in spite of the elements, an unbreakable bond between these two women.

Characters

Amy (age 3) - our introduction to Amy’s character; the time at which her mother decides to leave

Amy (age 10) - the first stage in which the mother comes back to visit Amy; we see childlike innocence; solely an appreciation at seeing her mother again

Amy (age 17) - the first change in tone, with stronger themes of isolation among community; Amy is resentful of her mother; the father is most prevalent in this scene

Amy (age ~26) - a pivotal moment - the only scene where Gaddie departs from Liu’s short story. This stage of Amy’s life is not included in the original story. Amy and the mother are the same age; their roles go from being the same (as they have reached the same point in life) to reversed (as Amy must now recognize her mother as an equal, and care for her in a time of need)

Amy (age 38) - Amy is fully in adulthood; we see her with her own children

Amy (age 80) - Amy is at the end of her life; we see an elderly Amy reconnecting with her mother, who has remained physically unchanged; true love and closure as the film comes to an end

Mother - Amy’s mother who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness; uses futuristic technology to extend her lifetime from 2 years to 80 years to remain with her daughter. The mother is often absent, but returns at different stages of Amy’s life Father - Amy’s father who is the main parent throughout her lifetime

Similar works to explore

Interstellar, 2014, dir. Christopher Nolan - film which also explores the Theory of Relativity and how it affects the relationship between a father and daughter
La vérité, 2019, dir. Kore-eda Hirokazu - film also loosely based off of “Memories of My Mother” by Ken Liu
Lady Bird, 2017, dir. Greta Gerwig - mother/daughter bond, also references the theme at different stages of life
Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2022, dir. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert - mother/daughter bond, sci-fi elements
“Bloodchild” by Octavia E. Butler - short story also in the science fiction genre, which explores similar themes of isolation/community
“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig - a novel which explores the idea of going back in time to different stages of life, considering what might be done differently, a look into how our decisions relate to one another at various points in life

Critical thinking questions

Is it a blessing or a curse for the mother to have expanded her lifetime, for the mother to show up at random points throughout Amy’s entire life?
If you could pick 5 ‘scenes’ of your own life to have someone you love be guaranteed to be part of, what would they be and why?
If you were in the mother’s shoes, would you have made the same decision? To utilize technology to expand her lifetime to stay with her daughter?
What is the significance of the ending of the film?
Would Amy and her mother have had the same relationship had she not been so prevalently both absent and present throughout Amy’s entire life?
What is the role of the father in the film? Is he a key player or is he just a background character? Why?
Why does Gaddie change the name from Liu’s original source material, from “Memories of My Mother” to Beautiful Dreamer?
Gaddie uses several strobing effects, with loud music. What effect does this have on the story?
Consider the soundtrack of the film. Gaddie uses several different songs and background tracks. Which of these benefit the story the most, and why would he have chosen them?
Gaddie uses an interesting method of transitioning between scenes. It is almost dream-like, with scenes of nature, eerie music, characters blurring between past and present. The actors are often looking directly into the camera during these transitions. What is the significance of these interludes? How do they connect each scene, and why might Gaddie have chosen to include them, rather than simply fading into the next scene?
How does Gaddie’s interpretation of technology in this society enhance or distract from the story? It is prevalent in every scene - from the devices the characters use, to the photos hanging on the walls. Why is this significant to the story?
The final minutes of the film are a stark departure from the previous narrative. The science fiction elements are at their most prominent. Amy and her mother are seen boarding a rocket ship, traveling through time to visit past memories. Why does Gaddie use this to conclude his film? If you were directing the film, would you keep the ending the same? If not, how would you have chosen to depict the ending?