(per)chance to dream

surreal pig photo by joshua brown


I started watching Requiem for a Dream last night. It’s one of those films that’s awkward to watch with another person, and worse to watch alone. It’s about dreams and drugs.

Dreams are drugs. Designer drugs. Both tailor-made and prêt-à-porter. There are recognizable trends, familiar fabrics. Some are forgettable. And yet, each dream is as unique as the dreamer, except when it recurs. Freud proved (I think it was Freud) that people who have similar experiences during the day, and are subjected to the same stimuli when they sleep, produce different dreams. And why wouldn’t they?

Not all dreams are about conflict taking place in the personality; not every dreaming mind is in touch with a supernatural world. Not all dreams are interesting, or worthy of interpretation.

Not all dreams come to us in sleep.

One of the dreams in the film is about a red dress. In my case, the dress is green.