Nicolas Cage plays a man who inexplicably starts appearing in everyone’s dreams in the new film.
More so than just about any other working actor, Nicolas Cage knows what it’s like to go viral – having been the subject of countless memes in the last couple of decades.
But for Paul Matthews, his character in the new film Dream Scenario, the idea of suddenly becoming ubiquitous is a far more alien phenomenon, especially since he goes viral not on the internet but in people’s dreams.
The film follows Paul – an awkward family man who teaches biology at a university and has always dreamed of writing a book – after he suddenly and inexplicably starts to appear in the dreams of everyone from his family members to his students to complete strangers.
Initially, this makes him a figure of interest for news channels and PR companies, but when the dreams begin to take on a nightmarish quality, he suddenly becomes a pariah figure – hounded out of the university and polite society in general.
If you’ve watched the film and want a recap of how things end up for Paul or need some clarification on the final scenes, read on to have the Dream Scenario ending explained.
Dream Scenario ending explained
When the dreams first come to public attention, Paul becomes a minor celebrity, and looks to exploit his sudden fame to finally achieve his dream of having a book published.
But things turn sour when, just as suddenly as the dreams had started, they take on a more sinister edge.
This causes people to become fearful of Paul, with PR firms no longer interested in partnering with him and his students lobbying to remove him as their professor.
Paul understandably reacts badly to this turn of events, but the more confrontational manner in which he starts to behave does him no favours – and he ends up alienating his family.
He eventually moves out of the home after releasing a public apology video that only makes things worse, and his attempts to sneak in to watch his daughter’s school play end with him accidentally injuring a teacher.
We then jump forward a few months, and it is revealed that the dreams have stopped and that technology now exists allowing people to choose to appear in dreams.
Paul has at least managed to achieve his dream of writing a book – an autobiography rather than a biology thesis – but his book tour of France does not go well, and the work has been titled I Am Your Nightmare rather than his preferred title of Dream Scenario.
At a low point, Paul uses the new tech to appear in his wife’s dream to save her life while dressed in an oversized suit like the one worn by David Byrne in Stop Making Sense – which she had previously revealed was her fantasy.
The film ends as the dream stops, with Paul wishing that it could have been a reality.
Dream Scenario is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on tonight.
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