Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Daydream Nation Blu-ray Movie Review

Teenagers say the darndest things.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 18, 2011

It seemed like the whole world was about to end.

"The end of the world" is a phrase that seems more often used to allude not to the literal end of the world as in "doom is coming! The aliens are landing! Nibiru is here!" but instead as a metaphor for what one perceives to be a life-changing event that may or may not bring about some dire consequence in life. The end of a relationship, a failing grade, college applications, and the like have high schoolers around the world crying doom and gloom and despair, but what if the bad exists to bring about some good? What if the figurative "end of the world" is really a doorway to something better? Perhaps it will bring about a new relationship, engender a renewed dedication to one's studies, or maybe even force a person to look deeply inside himself or herself to discover who they are not based on their social status but based on those inward forces that are the true definition of a human being? Daydream Nation is about a small little corner of the world that's in a constant state of flux with both interpersonal and external disasters threatening everyone's way of life. The movie promotes the idea that sometimes it takes a little tragedy to make things right, a little bit of fear to make one turn around and see that the world is indeed not collapsing from all sides but offering up a new day that's only a turn of the head, a look in another direction in both the literal and figurative senses, away.

Rebuttal.

Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) is a big city girl who's been relocated to a small town. She dubbs her first year there as a student at Hargrove High as the year that "everything changes." Not only is she under pressure at a new school where people misread her and she, in turn, becomes what they believe her to be, but the town is on edge thanks to dual threats: an out-of-control fire and a serial killer stalking young girls. Still, this is the year, she decides, that she will seek out true love. That leads her to two men, her thirty-something English teacher named Barry Anderson (Josh Lucas) and a troubled young high school boy named Thurston (Reece Thompson) whose best friend recently died in an automobile accident and who hangs out with a group of friends who are in search of the perpetual high. As Caroline sorts out her love life, she finds that moving to a new town might not be the end of the world, but instead a new beginning.

There's quite a bit going on in Daydream Nation, enough that it would seem the film is anti-establishment in that, here, fiction seems to be stranger than truth. Sometimes, such an out-of-whack look at the world is what it takes to find and define truth. The movie explores the complexities of life through sexual tensions and external fears. The personal, localized problems are further complicated by a pair of dangerous external elements, an out-of-control fire and a crazed suit-wearing predator who is killing young people. It all centers around a big city girl moved to a small town, where even a storybook low-key setting is shown not to be immune to the world's various crises, that life is complicated even when on paper it should be anything but. Drug abuse, confused personal identities, hurt feelings, and mass confusion also interfere with the daily routine, but how can such problems "interfere" when they seem to be the norm? Daydream Nation seems only to be saying that the world is complicated; it's bigger than the bubble in which one tries to exist, and that the bubble is so fragile and permeable -- allowing anything and everything in, whether one likes it or not -- is just the way the world works. Still, the film suggests, people have the power to shape their world the way they see fit, however much of a constant struggle that may be. This isn't exactly a structurally complex film, but it does serve up plenty of food for thought. It may not be the most well-made movie out there, but it at least has a focus, even if that focus is sometimes lost through the superficial complexities that define the film at a basic level.

Daydream Nation is certainly a tasty little nugget of thought-provoking, modern-day, hip-and-happening filmmaking, but it seems at times to try and stretch things too far, or to not go far enough, leaving audiences satisfied but wishing for a little more balance. The picture strives to paint a picture that more closely resembles real life than would some stuffier script written by adults but meant for teenagers. The dialogue more often than not is snappy and the characters do their best to play too-cool-for-school, but it sometimes just feels a little too disingenuous, like it's trying just a little too hard to be a good movie without looking or sounding like a movie. The real strengths here are the greater themes that work around the periphery, not necessarily hidden behind the dialogue but certainly influencing it and the resultant actions. The characters sometimes feel a little too shallow, too, and some of the elements come off as somewhat superfluous, the picture trying to add layers of complexity that really don't need to be there. Still, there's no doubt that the picture succeeds because of its embracing of very real drama and emotions. It's perhaps best described as "darkly hip," the film serving as a fine example of how even in this new era or even in the smalest towns people just cannot escape the realities of life. There's definitely something to be said for a movie that's made to put an honest spin on the world in which it was made. Daydream Nation succeeds, even if it just tries too hard at times.

Daydream Nation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Daydream Nation's 1080p Blu-ray transfer represents another quality release from Anchor Bay. The film was digitally shot, and while the image has that readily-evident flat and glossy texture to it, it's also extraordinarily clean and crisp. Detailing is strong throughout, particularly in character faces, even though parts of the picture are dimly lit, contrasting the many brighter, crisper segments which together present to the transfer a challenge to handle varied materials on either end of the spectrum. Fortunately, Anchor Bay's Blu-ray tackles that challenge with ease. Colors are true to the source, lesser under the many darker scenes but naturally vibrant in well-lit shots. Black levels are a real strength, appearing inky and deep but never crushing out fine details. The image is clean as a whistle, with minimal noise and banding and no evidence of blocking. Daydream Nation is a visually unremarkable film, yet it still earns a crisp, steady transfer that represents the film well.

Daydream Nation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Daydream Nation's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a high quality experience that's more about crispness and accuracy than it is high-powered sonic goodness. The film offers the core three elements of music, dialogue, and ambience, and little more of note. Music at first plays with a slightly cramped feel, but opens up nicely as the film gets going. Indeed, music is generally spacious and inviting, utilizing the entire front soundstage and leaking into the backs to deliver a full, satisfying sensation. The low end, the few times it kicks in, plays as a touch unkempt and rattly rather than tight and vigorous. Fortunately, light ambience is quite good, whether general woodland atmospherics as heard following a flashback car sequence a quarter of the way through the picture or a steadily light falling rain in chapter seven. Dialogue is crisp and steady, remaining grounded in the center speaker. Daydream Nation's soundtrack is of a high quality, even if it doesn't go very far beyond the basics.

Daydream Nation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Daydream Nation offers only trailers for assorted Anchor Bay releases and the featurette Behind the Scenes of 'Daydream Nation' (480p, 6:41), a piece that features cast and crew speaking on the plot, the film's purpose, the work of the cast and Director Michael Goldbach, and more. The piece is constructed of interview clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and brief scenes from the film.

Daydream Nation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Daydream Nation isn't the hip and happening picture it wanted to be, but it does work on the other end as a darkly modern look at life in the real world. In the film, characters face all sorts of personal problems as they struggle to interact with others, find their place in the world, and deal with external crises that only serve to make their lives more complicated than they need to be. Writer/Director Michael Goldbach's film shows some promise and leves audiences with plenty to ponder, but the film isn't quite as complete as it might have been with a script that worried less about being cool and more about digging deeper into the characters. Still, Daydream Nation is definitely worth checking out. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Daydream Nation yields a strong technical presentation but only one supplement. Easily worth a rental, and fans can buy with confidence.