Nicolas Cage becomes Frumpy Krueger in 'Dream Scenario'

Transcript

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

Paul Matthews is a tenured professor at a small college, but he's not an especially memorable person. He's actually definitely forgettable, sort of boring, kind of schlubby. But somehow, he's on a lot of people's minds.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DREAM SCENARIO")

MARNIE MCPHAIL: (As Clair) The reason that you've been on my mind is because you keep popping up in my dreams.

NICOLAS CAGE: (As Paul) Really?

MCPHAIL: (As Clair) Yeah, like, a lot in the last few weeks. It's so strange. You don't do anything, you're just there.

MARTÍNEZ: And it keeps happening to people he's never met all over the world. Paul Matthews just shows up in their dreams. But soon, those dreams turn dark. That's the concept behind the new film "Dream Scenario," starring Nicolas Cage. Kristoffer Borgli is the writer and director. He joins us now. Kristoffer, OK, so tell us about Paul Matthews. It sounds like, when we see him, that he's longing for something more than just being a teacher at a college. So he wants some recognition, it sounds like.

KRISTOFFER BORGLI: Yeah, I think he has some delusions of grandeur and feels entitled to academic recognition that he was cheated of. And I think that's the type of character that would welcome the sort of attention, even if it came from a very strange place, like popping up in people's dreams.

MARTÍNEZ: And that tickles something in him - right? - I think like it would anyone else, Kristoffer. Anyone that gets any level of notoriety or fame, it tickles this little thing that I think every human being has to want to be known.

BORGLI: Yeah, I mean, I think it's a healthy, natural desire to have sort of recognition and status within maybe a smaller group, that there's something noble about getting recognized for an achievement. And I think that sort of natural desire has been weaponized against us with the advent of the internet and how many opportunities there are to make a platform for yourself, to be seen and heard. And suddenly, it's not about a byproduct of achievement, it's just getting seen as end-all, be-all. And I think that's sort of the unhealthy road to kind of an empty calorie version of accomplishment.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DREAM SCENARIO")

CAGE: (As Paul) Calm down. Thank you. Who's really here for the lecture on kin selection, show of hands? OK, the rest of you, I'll give you five minutes before I start the lecture, OK? Ask me anything. Yes, you.

DAVID KLEIN: (As Andy) How does it feel to go viral?

(LAUGHTER)

CAGE: (As Paul) Well, we can discuss that when we get to memetics later this year. Yes, you.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Are you going to do, like, Stephen Colbert or anything?

(LAUGHTER)

CAGE: (As Paul) Not a chance. I actually enjoy my anonymity, if you can believe that. OK.

MARTÍNEZ: So as Paul is clearly enjoying this newfound notoriety, the dreams, or at least his activity in the dreams, becomes more erratic. Now, Kristoffer, I don't want to give too much away, but the nature of his celebrity starts to change as time goes on.

BORGLI: Yeah, he starts becoming more active in the dreams in very negative ways. They turn to nightmares.

(SCREAMING)

BORGLI: Of course, like, living in everyone's head as a sort of Freddy Krueger accidentally starts becoming, like, a big problem for this guy and for his family and for his work and everything.

MARTÍNEZ: So is this kind of like a commentary on the nature - on the fickle, I guess, nature of celebrity - right? - because anything can change on a dime? And all of a sudden, you can be beloved one moment and then the very next moment be hated.

BORGLI: Yeah. I mean, you know, when introducing this concept, this dream phenomenon, I was just thinking, let's pull it out of its typical sort of genre and place it in our sort of very banal current culture. And I was just thinking of how that would play out, all the steps, all the ups and downs - how everyone would have an opinion about it, how capitalism would come in and try to piggyback off of it, and how we're just, like, not able to have a conversation about it. It's all becomes very quickly just, are you for or against this thing?

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DREAM SCENARIO")

CAGE: (As Paul) They had some bad dreams and now they're not going to show up for class? I mean, we can't just accept that.

TIM MEADOWS: (As Brett) I don't know what to do here. I mean, obviously I have to take the students' concerns seriously, too.

CAGE: (As Paul) Yes, of course, but isn't this a bit of an overreaction? They're dreams. It's not real. I'm not actually doing anything to them.

MEADOWS: (As Brett) As I said before, this is new territory. I think I just need to consult with HR.

MARTÍNEZ: And the thing is, the people that react to his celebrity at first and as it changes are college students, which in this time (laughter), they tend to react in all kinds of different ways to all kinds of different things.

BORGLI: Yeah, they're very opinionated. And I also thought that there is this sort of, I guess, joke about college campuses and safe spaces and, you know, snowflake culture. And - but I thought, like, let me actually do something that takes the students a little bit more seriously. And so when we shot some of these horrible dreams, I wanted them to feel really painful in order to have their side of the argument be rational. And, like, I would not be able to work under a professor that I have constant nightmares about that looks like they do in the movie. When I was writing the movie, I was thinking, like, who would not understand this type of massive attention and fumble it? And I was thinking, my father, who was a professor.

MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).

BORGLI: He's the sort of comedic setup for how this would go wrong. And I'm not saying my dad would do the things that Paul Matthews, the character, does in the movie, but he would be equally ill-equipped to navigate this delicately.

MARTÍNEZ: Kristoffer Borgli is the writer and director of the new film starring Nicolas Cage. It's called "Dream Scenario." Kristoffer, thank you.

BORGLI: Thank you so much.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHET ATKINS AND MARK KNOPFLER'S "I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.