The Dreamers

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The Dreamers

NC-17,

2004,

1h 56m,

Drama/

Romance

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Watchlist

59%

164 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

164 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In May 1968, the student riots in Paris only exacerbate the isolation felt by three youths: an American exchange student named Matthew (Michael Pitt) and twins Théo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green). Having bonded over their mutual love of cinema, Matthew is fascinated by the sense of intimacy shared by Isabelle and Theo, who were born conjoined. When the twins' bohemian parents go away for a month, they ask Matthew to stay at their place, and the three lose themselves in fantasy.

Critics Consensus

Though lushly atmospheric, The Dreamers doesn't engage or provoke as much as it should.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Apr 26, 2024

5/5

Yes, there’s lots of sex and full-frontal nudity, but this is really a film about the intoxicating allure of cinema and its desensitising power, written by the last genuinely great philosopher film critic, Gilbert Adair.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Mar 13, 2018

The pleasures of "The Dreamers" stay mostly on the surface. But when the surface is as stylish and sexy as this, it's hard to complain.

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Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Apr 1, 2006

3/5

Fans of film and gorgeous naked people of either sex will find much here to interest them. But it also has moments that make you want to throw stones.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jul 28, 2026

The bohemian spirit is all over the film as Matthew loses his clothes along with his inhibitions and the liberating sex feels honest and right in its youthful excess, uninhibited but not exploitative.

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Aug 19, 2025

The Dreamers feels like a self-indulgent, adolescent wet dream of the famed Bertolucci.

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Brendan Lemon

Out Magazine

May 27, 2022

If The Dreamers lacks the quality of Bertolucci's masterpieces, it still exhibits a ripeness that has been missing from his recent work.

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Luke S

Dec 23, 2018

A film about inner struggles, changes and growing up. All that with a revolution on the streets. Worth a watch.

Theodore R

Jul 14, 2018

Speaking of how eroticism is used as a form of political fortress, I am reminded of Lou Ye's Summer Palace and the music of Le Uyen Phuong. Bernardo Bertolucci expresses similar concept with The Dreamers but his twin characters, Theo and Isabella, are not innocent, despite Mathew's insistence of otherwise - they actively remove themselves. One might think that this actually brings Theo and Isabella closer to the millennials' sense of impassive cynicism, but the frustration lies with the twins' clear literate understanding (something that millennials do not always carry). It's not that they do not know what they want, like the characters in Bertrand Bonello's Nocturama; it's that they are afraid and I do not like to think of the generations of the 1960s that way.

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Theodore R

Apr 3, 2018

If it weren't for the attractive actors, costumes, and props, it would be 100% UNWATCHABLE. As is, it is 96% UNWATCHABLE. The film was mostly shots of naked bodies engaged in unbearable conversation interspersed with black and white footage of old films that no one wants to see during the movie they are currently watching. This snorefest, as sexual as it was trying to be, lacked any climax.

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Abraham R

Mar 16, 2018

Both abnormal and intriguing.

Anakin R

Jun 13, 2017

A work of art, that is rather irrelevant, and disappointing. Was it beautiful? Very.

Draco R

Apr 20, 2017

Compelling drama about three students in 60s Paris. Matthew falls for Isabelle and her twin brother likes to keep close to them. A story about sex, relationships and the bond between 2 twins. worth a watch

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Bernardo Bertolucci

Director

Michael Pitt

Matthew

Eva Green

Isabelle

Louis Garrel

Theo

Robin Renucci

Father

Anna Chancellor

Mother

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Synopsis

In May 1968, the student riots in Paris only exacerbate the isolation felt by three youths: an American exchange student named Matthew (Michael Pitt) and twins Théo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green). Having bonded over their mutual love of cinema, Matthew is fascinated by the sense of intimacy shared by Isabelle and Theo, who were born conjoined. When the twins' bohemian parents go away for a month, they ask Matthew to stay at their place, and the three lose themselves in fantasy.

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Producer: Jeremy Thomas
Screenwriter: Gilbert Adair
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Recorded Pictures Company
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 6, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.5M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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