Jessica Chastain is more than aware of how topical Dreams is. Her latest team-up with Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco, off the back of his 2023 movie Memory with Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, is a provocative take on the immigrant experience. Premiering in competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, Dreams follows Jennifer, a wealthy socialite living in San Francisco who, under the wing of her powerful father, is a huge donor to the arts. She supports a dance foundation in Mexico City and begins a passionate love affair with a younger Mexican ballet dancer, Fernando (Isaac Hernández), who illegally crosses the U.S. border to be with her. When the relationship threatens to damage Jennifer’s pristine reputation, Chastain’s character is forced to make consequential decisions over his future.
“It’s undeniably political,” Chastain tells The Hollywood Reporter about coming to Berlin with Dreams. “It definitely delves into the relationship between America and Mexico.” The film arrives at a time when President Trump has been taking aggressive policy action over undocumented immigrants in the States, with his newly-appointed border czar Tom Homan orchestrating mass deportations across the country. “If you look at our Statue of Liberty, if you look at how this country was formed, it’s a country that has embraced the excellence of immigrants,” Chastain says. “I have my own personal politics and personal beliefs that I’m sure are not hard to decipher… But playing Jennifer, I couldn’t filter it through my own moral lens because it would have softened her.”
Chastain unpacked the new movie with THR, explaining how she had to remove her personal politics to convincingly embody Jennifer, how Franco’s filmmaking helps others to feel more human, and her own fond memories of the Berlinale. “Did Michel come to you for Dreams?” Chastain recalls, “Well, I was working on Memory for him — that movie I did with Peter Sarsgaard — and we were on set, and he came to me with the seedlings of an idea. It was so sweet. It was like, the second week of filming together, and he came up to me when I was just relaxing, and he said, ‘I’m in love with working with you, let’s figure out our next film.’”
Chastain expresses her excitement, saying, “I like that when the characters differ. When I’m not playing the same energy over and over again.” As she began to understand the character of Jennifer, she stated, “I just find her so incredibly lonely. I know she appears to be powerful. That’s what she wants everyone to feel, that she has ultimate power and authority. But the reality is I think she’s unable to be in any kind of relationship unless she feels she has dominance, and because of that, she really has no power.”
She elaborates, “To be a confident human being, you have to be willing to allow someone to be your equal. With Jennifer, it’s really quite dark. I think she does love Fernando, and the only way she can really know how to love is to feel like she’s in control of and in charge of how the relationship is formulated.” Chastain describes how Jennifer’s life with Fernando in Mexico City appears beautiful but remains a construct of her controlling nature, as she unwittingly treats him more like a possession than an equal.
As her story develops, Chastain shares, “Jennifer has built a beautiful cage for him to live in. When he shows up to be in a real relationship with her, she’s not able to do that. It’s so dark to even say this out loud — she treats him like a pet.” Reflecting on the uniqueness of their relationship, she notes, “I think she has a beautiful life with him in Mexico City. They really have a life together.”
When asked about how Michel Franco portrayed the immigrant experience, Chastain commented, “It’s undeniably political. It definitely delves into the relationship between America and Mexico. But I think the reason I really like working with Michel is it provokes thought. It provokes discussion.”
She explained the importance of the film in the current socio-political climate, stating, “If you look at our Statue of Liberty, if you look at how this country was formed, it’s a country that has embraced the excellence of immigrants.” Chastain emphasizes the necessity of understanding the immigrant experience and described how Jennifer’s obliviousness shapes her actions amid the conflicts that arise.
Chastain conveys her view, saying, “She wholeheartedly believes she’s a good person who is born with privilege, but she gives back. I think she doesn’t see the ways in which she can be cruel, and that all comes from her ignorance.” This nuanced portrayal involves a significant focus on how Jennifer’s ignorance serves as a barrier to her understanding of the immigrant struggles facing those like Fernando.
As the film evolves toward its climax, the confrontation escalates, leading to moments of unpredictability. “Then we get to that final 20 minutes, where it goes to a level I really wasn’t expecting,” Chastain reflects. “And what does she do in the final moment? She has him in a cage.” She is keen to point out that while the final scenes come across as metaphoric, they are designed to resonate emotionally with the audience.
When discussing the complexities of playing a character like Jennifer, Chastain notes, “I never think about that. My favorite actress is Isabel Huppert, and I hate her in a lot of films. I love her as an actress, but I hate her characters in a lot of films.” To this end, she acknowledges that characters like Jennifer can be surrounded by flaws and moral ambiguities that contribute to their humanity. “When you’re playing someone who’s making a lot of mistakes, you have to find the humanity in them,” she explains.
Chastain describes her interactions with the film’s themes, sharing that despite Jennifer’s transgressions, “When I saw the film, I felt good about what I saw. I really felt sorry for Jennifer. Because she does horrible things, but she is so lonely.” This sense of loneliness permeates Jennifer’s character, emphasized by physical and emotional isolation defined by sterile living conditions that reflect her internal struggles.
Discussing the contrasting settings within the film, Chastain identifies the warmth found in Mexico City compared to the coldness of San Francisco. “Yes! She’s in flowy dresses. With patterns! The house is warmer. There are plants everywhere.” These details serve as artistic expressions of the characters’ emotional states, grounding viewers in their experiences. The reference to Jennifer’s infertility adds depth, indicating societal expectations of womanhood and the resultant struggles for identity.
Chastain stresses the dynamics present in Jennifer’s family structure, discussing how the men’s dominance shapes her perspective. “In many societies, the role of a woman is to have children, and that’s where your value comes from,” she says. This commentary on gender norms aligns with the exploration of Jennifer’s life and relationships, exploring her complex role as both a powerful figure and a vulnerable woman.
Providing insight into the motivations behind Jennifer’s actions, Chastain comments on the balance of compassion and cruelty. “When you allow a character to have the positive aspects of their character, but also the incredibly negative aspects of their character, you’re allowing them to be human.” This intention reflects Chastain’s vision for unlocking depth and complexity within her characters, allowing her to delve into darker themes in storytelling.
The discussion shifts to the film’s title, Dreams, and Chastain offers her interpretation. “We are all dreamers,” she states, highlighting the societal implications of the term. “Fernando sees his life, his dream, coming true in the United States, and in some sense, she’s fully living in Mexico.” In articulating the multifaceted perspectives surrounding the title, Chastain illustrates the way these narratives intersect in the film.
As she reflects on her past experiences at the Berlin Film Festival, Chastain reveals, “Oh, no. I played a serial killer in Crimson Peak!” Her fondness for the festival is evident as she recounts memories of support among fellow actors and friends who celebrated successes alongside her. “She showed up and she carried my purse when I was taking my pictures. It’s so sweet. I love her. She’s like my sister.”
The film indeed marks Chastain’s return to the festival after 14 years, and she expresses gratitude for the opportunity. “I’m really happy to be back,” she states, affirming her eagerness to reconnect with the cinematic community. However, due to her packed schedule, she laments, “I won’t have a chance to see anything else. It’s press, premiere, and then airport.”
