Winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlinale, Dreams is the final chapter in Dag Johan Haugerud’s much-praised trilogy about love, desire, and the fragile ways people connect. Known for Beware of Children and the daring diptych Sex and Love, Haugerud brings humor, warmth, and emotional sharpness to a story that feels both timeless and modern.Set in Oslo, the film follows Johanne (Ella Øverbye, returning after her standout role in Beware of Children), a teenager experiencing the rush of first love. Her crush on her French teacher Johanna (Selome Emnetu) sparks a series of discoveries, misunderstandings, and moments of vulnerability. What begins as an intimate coming-of-age tale grows into a multi-generational reflection when Johanne’s mother Kristin (Ane Dahl Torp) and grandmother Karin (Anne Marit Jacobsen), a poet, read her writings and confront their own past desires, losses, and freedoms.The cast shines throughout: Øverbye captures adolescence with subtle restraint, Jacobsen and Dahl Torp balance wit and tenderness, and Emnetu radiates warmth as the center of Johanne’s gaze. Critics have praised Haugerud’s gift for moving seamlessly between playful and poignant tones, creating a film that feels deeply personal yet universal.Visually and sonically, Dreams creates an atmosphere of softness and beauty. Cinematographer Cecilie Semec bathes Oslo in gentle pastels, while Anna Berg’s jazz-inflected score drifts between lightheartedness and longing. With its mix of humor, heartache, and grace, Dreams is a moving exploration of love across generations, and a film that lingers like first love itself.Nicole Guillemet