Dreams May Come, a film directed by Vincent Ward, with a screenplay by Ron Bass, shows visually the mental images of characters in the film through the afterlife universes that they create for themselves. The aim of the film is signaled by its title, a quote from Hamlet's famous Act III soliloquy.

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil" (Ham. 3.1.10-12). Thus, the film provides a vision of what the life after death may hold. While following the struggles of Chris Nielsen to adapt to his private afterlife universe, the film heavily relies on the technique of presenting mental images visually, often in very creative and striking ways. The character Doc, who functions as Chris' guardian angel, expresses the basic philosophical stance of the film. In response to...
[ View Full Essay]