Three punks, a Wall Street guru (Dan Berkman), an awkward interaction. Punk Dreams is the story of those three punks after the man from Wall Street disrespects them. They then make the crazy decision to follow him home and break into his apartment when he’s not around. However, there’s so much more to this man, because he’s not a man at all–he’s the devil.
Punk Dreams…that’s so metal. The film is intentionally wild, with a series of unexpected twists and turns that don’t always make sense. The film exists on something of a quasi-science-fictional plane, one where viewers see the bounds of reality extended, but not fully broken. It’s made abundantly clear that Writer-Director Jorge Orozco and Writer Ari Tecktiel intend to play with reality, that they want to make it so that their viewers can’t anticipate what happens next. In a lot of ways Punk Dreams is an incredibly odd film, again, playing with the ideas of what is and isn’t acceptable as part of this subgenre. It messes with reality, it includes what appears to be a series of overacting, and the plot itself isn’t quite as linear as one might expect. For lack of a better word, Punk Dreams is different–and that’s certainly not a bad thing.
I found Punk Dreams to sort of be a metaphor for life. There’s always the idea that curiosity killed the cat, that doing too much or overstepping your bounds can often lead to bad things–and that’s the situation in which the three punks find themselves. They become a tad too overzealous, and they begin to participate in activities that seem unlike them. It’s made clear that not all parties are on board with the things taking place throughout the course of Punk Dreams, and that this isn’t something that they would normally condone (and they still don’t). This makes me think of today’s youth, often doing more than they should, believing that they are entitled to more things than they actually are, and these things can lead to issues down the road. To be clear, I don’t think that an entire generation is this way, but these are trends that I’ve noticed in my journey through education. With that, I genuinely appreciate the fact that Orozco and Tecktiel are willing to call out this behavior, to condemn it even–as their actions are quickly met with severe consequences.
This is a fractured story, one that doesn’t feel linear–or even complete if I’m being honest. Punk Dreams sort of jumps around from place to place, always ending up in a new room, entertaining a new tone, or seeing the main characters (I don’t know if they are antagonists or protagonists really) participate in a series of random activities. The film moves quickly, and if this team is able to fit everything into it, I think they have no choice but to move so quickly. Sure, it’s frumpy from time to time–but I believe the fact that the film is called Punk Dreams allows it to be that way without too much question or condemnation.
Punk Dreams is a fun film that explores some interestingly dark corners of society, things that I have seen trending in the past few years that are actually quite scary. Orozco and Tecktiel attack this content with vigor, but in a way that is incredibly wild and unpredictable. There’s a part of me that wishes Punk Dreams was more structured, and then there’s another part that genuinely appreciates the fact that this team refuses to be corralled, to be told that a film has to play out a certain way. Punk Dreams is ultimately a unique and entertaining journey through our troubling world told through the eyes of some unsuspecting individuals.
Directed by Jorge Orozco.
Written by Jorge Orozco & Ari Tecktiel.
Starring Norlian Iambe, Luke Peterson, Eve Haley, Dan Berkman, & June Hart.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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