It may have been my post-cinema high, but DREAMS (Sex Love) has earned a spot as one of my favourite films. Poetic in all the right moments, but never showy or self-important, the film doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Instead, it tells a deeply relatable and vulnerable story of first love with a touch of dry humour, intimate detail, and nuance.
DREAMS is the third film in Dag Johan Haugerud’s trilogy exploring love and sexuality. Set in Oslo, Norway, the film is driven by a female-dominated cast and explores coming-of-age, sexuality and the intensity of first love, intergenerational relationships and materialising memory through writing.
Watching DREAMS felt like a stark and nostalgic reminder that many of us will never experience first love again. As we grow older, we come to understand that there are many loves of our lives, but our first love is unique, untouched by experience, logic or self-protection. Haugerud captures this emotional distinction with tenderness.
At its core, DREAMS is a story about a teenage girl, Johanne (Ella Øverbye), who falls in love with her teacher (Selome Emnetu). She documents the intimate details of this experience in a memoir, which she later shares with her mother (Ane Dahl Torp) and grandmother (Anne Marit Jacobsen).
Upon reading her memoir, the characters are forced to grapple with the ethics of the relationship as well as the literary potential of Johanne’s story. Individually, Johanne’s vulnerability prompts her mother and grandmother to confront their own histories of love, desire and sexuality.
Johanne’s coming-of-age is a queer one, though the film resists making it a central theme. Instead, it centres on first love and infatuation, emotions that are understood almost universally. Johanne herself doesn’t appear preoccupied with defining her sexuality; she is simply in love.
When her mother and grandmother discuss the possibility of publishing Johanne’s memoir, they reflect on what it might mean for queer readers. The film delicately captures the power that vulnerability and visibility have in eradicating stigma and shame.
Ella Øverbye’s thoughtful portrayal of Johanne and the collective emotional maturity portrayed by all actors suggest that coming-of-age is not a fixed event, but an ongoing process. We are reminded that “finding yourself” doesn’t end with adolescence.
Johanne’s experience of infatuation is painfully relatable. Øverbye captures this emotional intensity with striking accuracy. Having a crush on someone unattainable or forbidden feels almost like a rite of passage for a teenage girl, especially those who are queer.
At seventeen years old, boundaries and expectations are unclear and, as Haugerud explains, “there can be a disconnect between the mental conception and the physical experience” of a crush.
In these moments, imagination runs wild. Fantasies feel real because our emotional responses are so intense, blurring the line between dreams and reality. Haugerud leans into this ambiguity.
The decision to centre the story around a student–teacher dynamic undeniably toys with ethics and morality. There is no question that the relationship crosses a line; however, the film offers the audience multiple perspectives rather than a single moral verdict. It maintains emotional sincerity, and the tension of this unlikely relationship makes the film a compelling watch.
The depiction of intergenerational relationships in DREAMS is one of its most compelling characteristics. The dynamic between Kristen (mother) and Karin (grandmother) as they navigate their reactions to Johanne’s memoir is gentle, patient and deeply human. The film becomes a testament to the strength women derive from deep emotional relationships with each other.
Thought-provoking dialogue between characters reflects different experiences and opinions of desire, sexuality and empowerment, “which are not fixed and sometimes contradict each other.” Each character and scene has a place and feels purposeful.
Kristen’s calm and open-hearted attempt to understand Johanne’s perspective feels especially healing. Healthy mother–daughter relationships are rarely depicted on screen with such nuance, and seeing one unfold here was genuinely refreshing.
The recurring motif of knitting serves as a metaphor for this intergenerational exchange and symbolic intimacy. An underappreciate artform, knitting is a craft rarely learned in formal institutions and instead passed down from generation to generation, making it an intimate practice with relationship-building potential.
From a formal standpoint, DREAMS excels in its restraint. Indie films can sometimes feel alienating and obscure in their pursuit of profundity. Haugerud manages to deliver a profound story by depicting relatable human experience, relationships and the vulnerability of first love.
Dominated by Johanne’s voiceover, though unconventional, allows the film to portray the inner turmoil of infatuation in a way that dialogue alone could not. The ascending stairway, the soft colour palette, the fitting, brassy soundtrack, feel earned rather than imposed. Each stylistic decision seemed thoughtfully considered.
Ultimately, DREAMS is a film about the paradox of first love. How it can be innocent and inappropriate, short-lived and everlasting. It is evidence of how memories and fantasy, related in the film to the impermanence and dreamlike imagery of clouds, can be materialised and made permanent in the act of writing. It is a must-see this summer!
Dreams runs from 12 -18 January as part of Lotterywest Films and Perth Festival. Somerville Auditorium, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Godroo / Crawley WA 6009.
Tickets: https://www.perthfestival.com.au/program/season-2026/dreams
Website: https://www.perthfestival.com.au/program/season-2026/lotterywest-films
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/perthfest/ and https://www.instagram.com/lotterywest/
Watch the trailer here:
Film details:
Title: Dreams
Director: Dag Johan Haugerud
Cast: Ella Øverbye, Selome Emnetu, Ane Dahl Tor
Country of Origin: Norway
Duration: 110 mins
Rating: PG
