TRIBECA REVIEW: ‘Dreamscapes’

Dreamscapes, the new short film from director Wolfram Hissen, perfectly encapsulates the limitations of a brief running time. With only 37 minutes to spend with world-renowned artist Stephen Hannock, we’re left with an incomplete portrait. We watch the artist paint, socialize with friends and present his work at exhibitions. There’s even a few scenes with Sting, who has become Hannock’s unofficial patron over the years.

But, like a great piece of art, without stopping and spending time with the subject, the exercise becomes pointless. There’s never any deep introspection into what makes Hannock tick, why he makes certain decisions and what his art means to the greater pantheon of landscape artists.

Even though a lot of ground is covered in the documentary, including visits to Venice, Newcastle and New York, it all becomes a blur. Here’s a man who creates finely detailed pieces of art, sometimes massive in scale. He breathes life into communities and cities, often writing different words and phrases over his buildings to convey a double message in one work. The canvases demand our attention and ask us to look closer. Dreamscapes, which recently played the Tribeca Film Festival, can never match the excellence of its subject matter. But there’s enough potential for a feature-length film.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

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