The Dreamers

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The Dreamers

NC-17

Released Feb 6, 2004

1h 56m

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

162 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In May 1968, the student riots in Paris only exacerbate the isolation felt by three youths: an American exchange student named Matthew (Michael Pitt) and twins Théo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green). Having bonded over their mutual love of cinema, Matthew is fascinated by the sense of intimacy shared by Isabelle and Theo, who were born conjoined. When the twins' bohemian parents go away for a month, they ask Matthew to stay at their place, and the three lose themselves in fantasy.

Critics Consensus

Though lushly atmospheric, The Dreamers doesn't engage or provoke as much as it should.

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Yes, there’s lots of sex and full-frontal nudity, but this is really a film about the intoxicating allure of cinema and its desensitising power, written by the last genuinely great philosopher film critic, Gilbert Adair.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 26, 2024

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David Ansen

Newsweek

The pleasures of "The Dreamers" stay mostly on the surface. But when the surface is as stylish and sexy as this, it's hard to complain.

Mar 13, 2018

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Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Fans of film and gorgeous naked people of either sex will find much here to interest them. But it also has moments that make you want to throw stones.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2006

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Brendan Lemon

Out Magazine

If The Dreamers lacks the quality of Bertolucci's masterpieces, it still exhibits a ripeness that has been missing from his recent work.

May 27, 2022

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Bertolucci's overarching message - and the purpose of the story - is almost entirely lost to the youthful, callow, anarchic, pervasive sex and nudity.

Rated: 3/10

Sep 29, 2020

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Although the story falls apart in places and has some twists that are inserted only as a means to an end, [Bernardo] Bertolucci still has the ability to draw you in and use sexuality as a form of art.

Nov 7, 2019

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LacosteTK N

Came To Watch Eva Green, Stayed For Eva Green's Nude Scenes, And Remeber It For The Writing, A Spectacular Film About Cinama And The Confused Youth With No Sense Of Purpose In Life, This Film Is Gonna Be Immortalized By It's Unaging Theme, And It's Gonna Be More Relevant With Time, Thanks To The Three Cast Memebers And The Director

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

Full Review

vicky n

If it weren’t for these three dazzlingly beautiful people and their constant nudity, there would be nothing beyond beauty and eroticism. The film begins with a narrator, something that seems to tell an interesting story, and abruptly ends without the narrator voice and without context. There is no connection between the sexual games around the protagonists’ love for cinema and the revolution in which the context is set; there is no cohesion, and it seems to jump from one topic to another without any intersection between them. It seems as if the story had to be rushed, and at some point after the middle of the film, the thread was lost. Had it not been for the beautiful nudity of the protagonists, I would have stopped watching.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/28/25

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Cristina B

Camp Eva Green, frequently topless, fantastical an indulging in incestuous threesomes, is pretty difficult to beat. It is a racy and yet innocent film that is more about sexual awakening than politics or philosophy (at which some ham-fisted references are made), and seems to push the boundaires of sex on screen in precisely the same way the French new wave films did, but with a vile, morbid and self-indulgent 90s twist that must have been tough to swallow for a mass audience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

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Steve D

Entertaining for Green.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/09/24

Full Review

Priyan B

Eroticism at its peak. 7/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/24

Full Review

Junji Ito's G

French people have a weird thing for i n c e s t

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/16/24

Full Review

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Bernardo Bertolucci

Director

Michael Pitt

Matthew

Eva Green

Isabelle

Louis Garrel

Theo

Robin Renucci

Father

Anna Chancellor

Mother

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Synopsis

In May 1968, the student riots in Paris only exacerbate the isolation felt by three youths: an American exchange student named Matthew (Michael Pitt) and twins Théo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green). Having bonded over their mutual love of cinema, Matthew is fascinated by the sense of intimacy shared by Isabelle and Theo, who were born conjoined. When the twins' bohemian parents go away for a month, they ask Matthew to stay at their place, and the three lose themselves in fantasy.

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Producer: Jeremy Thomas
Screenwriter: Gilbert Adair
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Recorded Pictures Company
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 6, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.5M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)