Strawberry Mansion – Movie Review
Director: Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney
Writer: Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney (Screenplay)
Cast
- Penny Fuller
- Kentucker Audley
- Grace Glowicki
- Linas Phillips
- Reed Birney
Plot: In a future where the government records dreams and taxes them, a dream auditor gets caught up in the dreams of an aging eccentric.
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Strawberry Mansion starts as we dive into the world where dreams are taxed, auditor Preble (Audley) is assigned to look into eccentric older woman Bella’s (Fuller) dreams. As Preble sees the massive collection of dreams that Bella has captured over the years, he sees his work is going to take long.
Preble dives into the dreams where he sees the dreams of a younger Bella (Glowicki), as he starts to understand how she operated in her dreams. Once inside Bella’s dreams, he discovers something much more disturbing going on with the dream business.
Verdict on Strawberry Mansion
Characters
Preble is a dream auditor; he travels around to make sure people are paying the tax on their dreams. He gets to travel into the recorded dreams to see which parts need to be taxed. Preble’s latest job is one of the biggest he ever undertook, needing to go through decades of dreams from an elderly woman. What he finds in the dreams takes him on an adventure he never imagined, one where he must test his own reality.
Bella is the lady being audited; she has kept her dreams in an outdated system. She is seen as eccentric but the reason for this is discovered in her dreams, with her younger self. Her dreams are odd and imaginative, as she guides Preble through them.
The supporting characters have their own plans for the dreams. They interfere with Preble’s work or characters met within the dreams.
Performances
Kentucker Audley is brilliant in the leading role, he brings the calm side to his character that gets thrown into the unknown through the dreams. The performance shows the uncertainty he is going through and the changes he goes through along the way.
In the supporting cast, Penny Fuller and Grace Glowicki do a great job as the two versions of Bella. They bring the same charm to the character on the journeys.
Story
The story follows a dream auditor that travels into the dreams of his latest client, only to discover an amazing world of dreams that he finds himself getting caught up within.
This is a fascinating story, first because of the idea that dreams are taxed. Secondly, seeing how dreams are recorded and placed into a world where people can audit them. Finally, the idea is that you can experience other people’s dreams and how they can change your outlook on life.
Seeing the world created in this story shows pure imagination and takes us to a place we could only dream of. This is a story you can see so much more than you thought and one you want to see more from.
Themes
Strawberry Mansion is a fantasy adventure that takes us into the dreams of people. The dreams can go in any direction, opening the door to the endless possibilities which the effects build upon. In the effects, we get creations only dreams could make possible, with the style of shooting the movie only adding to this part of the film.
Bulldog Film Distribution presents Strawberry Mansion in select cinemas and on-demand on 16 September
Final Thoughts – Strawberry Mansion is an amazing journey into the fantasy land of dreams.