THE REEL CRITIC

Author: GABE BROUGHTON

Norah Jacobson's latest effort is an ambitious film about small town frustration, family and the nature of heat. "Nothing Like Dreaming" is a film made out of necessity, and its earnest quality is readily apparent in each shot. However, this is also the kind of small budget, indie production with which it is easy to fall into a sort of unknowing condescension. Given Jacobson's repute as a talented filmmaker, this would be a mistake. Certainly, the film offers much to admire, but one gets the sense that Jacobson became so enamored with her subject that she was unable to decipher the fat from the meat.

The film, set in Montpelier, Vt., exudes the locale's rural character. This is a Vermont film before all else - the setting is crucial to the psychology of the characters as well as to the development of the plot. Morgan Bicknell '01 plays Emma Eriksen, a Senator's daughter who has just graduated from high school and been accepted to Yale. Through the death of her best friend, a wild girl named Lara, Emma meets Sonny Gale, a local outcast with a fetish for fire, played by George Woodard. Emma cultivates a friendship with Sonny despite her father's disapproval and her town's distrust. The film's moment of triumph comes when Sonny and Emma construct a fire organ, or pyrophone, producing both haunting and thrilling sounds.

While the film focuses mainly on the relationship between Emma and Sonny, some of its most poignant moments occur in the conversations between Emma and her parents Rachel and Jess Eriksen, played by Rachel Bissex and John Griesemer, respectively. As the film progresses, traditional family roles deteriorate in the Eriksen household. The clinically depressed mother often appears in the fetal position, symbolizing her childlike behavior. Emma, playing mother, comforts Rachel and encourages her to pursue a career as a folk singer. The father, a promiscuous state legislator, engages in debate with the governor in one scene and smokes a joint in the next. However confused and discordant the family may be, it is clear that the Eriksens need each other.

Unfortunately, Jacobson often loses focus and distracts from the plot as she tries to tackle a broad subject range. The father's position as Senator opens the door to a discussion of same sex marriage, a question that is raised again with the introduction of Emma's bisexual friend, Josh, played by Colin Gunn. When Josh comes out to his parents, they force him to live in a van.

Additionally, Rachel's depression, along with Sonny's schizophrenia, forces a reflection on mental health and the necessity of medication. Out of a building frustration with his illness, Sonny pronounces, "You can chain my body but you can't chain my mind," serving as a vehicle for Jacobson's own beliefs. At times, the film seems less focused on the storyline and the characters' development than on expressing Jacobson's hodge-podge of liberal concerns.

One gets the sense that Jacobson is capable of making a great film - she just hasn't done it yet. "Nothing Like Dreaming" is filled with clunky dialogue, all-too-long pauses and humor that falls dangerously close to self-parody. Despite all that, the film is one of the most sincere indie flicks to date.