Fantastic Film Fest 2022 Review - Dreams on Fire
Images courtesy of Fantastic Film Festival Australia.
Philipe McKie’s Dreams on Fire is a heart-pounding and awe-inspiring dance film set in the streets of Tokyo, starring Bambi Naka (an internationally renowned dancer who’s collaborated with the likes of Alexander Wang and Madonna) as Yume, a young woman who flees her strict family home to pursue her love of dance. Featuring a wide variety of music genres ranging from trap, drum and bass, and metal all the way to classical, we follow her journey of self-discovery as she finds herself exploring the Japanese underbelly.
Naka’s lead performance is potent; not only does her background help sell the exhilarating dance setpieces, but she also brings a much-needed vulnerability and wide-eyed sense of wonder to the role. Yume’s love for dance as an art form is intoxicating; I found myself rooting for her almost instantly, upping the stakes of whether she’ll actually find success. The title Dreams on Fire lends itself to multiple interpretations, alluding to both her burning passion, and her many failures; something that many films of this nature tend to go about in a much more cliché manner. Not once does the fame and greatness she aspires to feel like a sure thing.
Just as our protagonist finds herself exploring unfamiliar territory, we as an audience are treated to a vibrant exploration of city life in the Japanese capital. McKie is a Canadian filmmaker who’s lived in Japan for almost a decade, working side gigs as a DJ and event organiser, and yet his camera wanders the side alleys, shops and clubs in a way that shows he’s yet to take the beauty of it all for granted. Shot with crisp yet intimate framing and laced in gold, neon and glass, it’s a visual treat that shows a genuine love for the culture.
Despite its 2 hour runtime, the trip never gets stale thanks to detours into various subcultures. Yume’s willingness to jump headfirst into any opportunity takes us from a dance school, to a job as a hostess, to various competitions and even BDSM events. Each is shown with both its pros and cons, and the film isn’t afraid of critiquing the industry as a whole. Likewise, music choices that accompany the meticulously choreographed dance pieces are flavorful; a quick browse through featured artists such as S.P.Y, Juche, Hanabie., juku and IC3PEAK show a similarly eclectic taste in sound.
Like a well thought out stage performance, Dreams on Fire aims not just to thrill, but also to move. Pulsing through its veins is a rich marriage of emotion and style, resulting in a film experience that commands attention, intoxicating the audience with an audio-visual assault on the senses.
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Dreams on Fire is showing at the 2022 Fantastic Film Festival Australia, running 21st April to the 6th of May. For tickets to the festival and more info, click here.