“Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?”
Sir Anthony Hopkins steps behind the camera and directs this surreal exploration of the mind of a screenwriter (or is it?). It seems obvious that Hopkins’ screenplay was more the result of a night of fevered dreams than of sitting at the typewriter. Slipstream definitely plays on the “dream within a dream” angle and employs dream logic so a plot description would be difficult.
Here’s what the back of the box says:
"Aging screenwriter Felix Bonhoeffer (Hopkins) has lived his life in two states of existence: reality and his own interior world. While working on a murder mystery screenplay, Felix becomes baffled as his characters start appearing in his life, and his life starts slipping into his characters. Soon, he is thrown into a vortex where dreams, time and reality collide in an increasingly whirling slipstream.”
Bonhoeffer’s screenplay starts to bleed into the narrative and vice versa. So we think that hardened criminals Ray (Christian Slater) and “Geek” (Jeffrey Tambor) are really taking over a diner, but it all turns out to be a the production company shooting the script.
Later in the narrative a character played by the like of Michael Clarke Duncan reappears, we see him get shot earlier, with a gaping head wound while Felix is taking out his garbage to complain about his part being shortened from what it was in the screenplay. It seems like Hopkins gathered a few of his famous friends, Fionnula Flanagan, Camryn Manheim, and John Turturro, and even his wife Stella Arroyave to take parts in the show. There’s a wonderful turn by Kevin McCarthy, of Invasion of the Body Snatchers fame, playing himself as well and this sequence basks in its unreality.
There are even more bits of visual trickery as scenes or colors change and shift and those actor friends sometimes play multiple parts. A whirling dervish of a film that is surreal in the extreme. That being said, be warned if you don’t appreciate the surreal or experimental. Slipstream is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary with director Anthony Hopkins. There’s also the 15 minute “Dreaming Slipstream” which is a making of featurette and 12 minutes of deleted scenes. Slipstream is a dreamlike contribution from Anthony Hopkins who proves that even in dreams that you can find inspiration and make an interesting film from the land of slumber.
There are many moments of creativity in the film and Hopkins has fashioned a great film for those looking for something different. I enjoyed it but if you can’t stand the logic found in dreams you might want to reconsider it. The film is an interesting experiment and started off as a lark for Hopkins but he’s crafted an intriguing look into the mind of one man and the jumbling of dreams and reality (or lack of reality). Check it out if you’re looking for something different.
Slipstream is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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