COMM 380:  Media Criticism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I’ve Just Had a Dream is a drama film co-written and directed by Javier Navarro and was released in 2016. The film’s narrative deals with social inequality and economic disparity through the dreams of children. It is through the innocent and objective perspective of these children that Javier Navarro explores these ideas, stating that “there is a lot of selfishness and very little desire to put yourself in the skin of another” (Educacion Mediatica, 2014). This roughly 8-minute short film has received more than 200 awards and has been the official selection of multiple festivals. This success can be directly attributed to the film’s excellent use of sound design, editing techniques, and a rich multi-layered narrative that resonated with both the audience and judges.

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The foundation of Symbolic Interactionism was laid by George Herbert Mead in 1984. Mead believed that what binds us together as a culture “is our common creation of society through our interactions based on language, or symbolic interaction” (Hanson, 2017, p.40).  Meaning, individuals seek to create a shared understanding by actively engaging the feelings of others through the use of language and various symbols. Utilizing this understanding of the purpose of symbolic interactionism, we can discern that Javier Navarro’s overall objective was to pronounce the social disparity that is ever present in modern society. This is achieved through the director’s ability to effectively create and utilize symbols in the form of the characters and the incidents presented throughout the film’s 8-minute runtime. Combined, these symbols allow the audience to empathize with the characters and understand the overall message of social inequality that Javier Navarro is trying to convey.

 

The first and arguably most important, symbol introduced in the film is the characters Amina and Irene. Through the characterization of Irene, we can determine that she is symbolic of the individuals who are privileged enough to live comfortably in a first world country. Contextually, this is evident when analyzing her expression of anxiety and fear over the events that occurred in her dream. This is a direct parallel to Amina’s excitement and optimism over the events of the same exact dream, allowing the audience to infer that Amina is from a different socioeconomic background than Irene.

 

Additionally, the response provided by the caretaker of the girls is an excellent indicator of this symbolism. After Irene is done telling her mother, presumably, the events of her dream, she simply says “don’t worry honey… It’s just a bad dream” compared to the “rest my child” that Amina receives from her mother (citation). Both are a reassurance that, neither their nightmare nor dream will not come to fruition.

 

The events of this film are intriguing and thought-provoking but take on a greater significance when we view them as a symbol, seeking to convey Javier’s message of social inequity in modern society. The first of these events is the act of a child looking at themselves in a mirror. This appears to be an innocuous scene until we realize that this is the start of Irene’s nightmare because she no longer perceived herself as the affluent white girl that she was. This is a stark contrast to Amina’s dream where she sees the mirror as a luxury that allows her to stare at herself.

 

The second event of the film that serves as another symbol of this disparity and it comes in the form of a child performing household chores such as cooking and cleaning. Again, Irene’s interpretation of the dream presents these actions as a burden to her because her mother normally takes care of these duties. In contrast, Amina’s interpretation of these events diverges from Irene’s in that Amina acknowledges that she is lucky to have these new amenities that will allow her to take care of her mother. These different reactions to the same scene allow the audience to feel the conflicting emotions of frustration and happiness within the context of each character’s interpretation.

 

The next series of events hold a great deal of significance when looked at as a reaffirmation of the characterization provided earlier in the film. The first action that serves as a reminder of the girls’ existences in different social and economic classes is when our two characters escort their wheelchair-bound mother outside through the park. It is from Irene’s point of view we learn that she is solely responsible for her mother’s care and the tone is almost resentful. This contrasts with Amina’s point of view where she is thankful that her family is fortunate enough to have a wheelchair for her mother to use, an item most families with a handicapped family member would have in a developed nation. This dichotomy of discontent and happiness because of familial responsibilities is further illustrated in the next scene where we see Irene and Amina bringing their father breakfast because he “works a lot” (citation).  Again, Irene’s tone of voice carries the cadence of thanklessness for her father’s hard work; this attitude is balanced by Amina’s, who is simply happy to see that her father is no longer dead.

 

The next two scenes we see involve Irene and Amina interacting and reacting to the world around them. During the first of which, we see the young girls getting on a bus and traveling on their own. It is here we see Irene call attention to the fact that, although there may be many people riding the bus with her, none of them ask the young girl if she is all right. After which, we see Irene performing the shopping, yet another task that contributes to her fatigue. This is a stark contrast to how Amina feels about these tasks: she is grateful that public transportation is available and that there is a store close by with an abundance of food for her family to consume.

 

The final scene of note takes place in a classroom of entirely white children. The message about social inequality is most clear in the girls’ interpretations of events. Irene instantaneously recognizes that she herself is different from her classmates. Amina yet again serves as the counterpoint to Irene by simply stating that she is grateful to have the opportunity to receive an education, despite the jeering of the two boys next to her. The implication that Irene is the symbol of affluence is extremely clear in this scene because she is the one to call attention to the fact that she is different and the difference in her skin color is what makes her uncomfortable in this context. All of these scenes and the subsequent juxtaposition reaffirms the idea that there is a form of social inequality that cannot be addressed verbally by the children, only perceived.

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In conclusion, it is through the director’s deft utilization of characters as symbols that we are able to determine that the films overall intent extends beyond entertainment and seeks to educate the audience to the social inequalities that are ever present in our society. Javier Navarro is able to do this by using the juxtaposition of Irene and Amina’s innocent nature and the content of the dream itself to expose these truths in an unbiased manner. Furthermore, this conscious choice of having two young women engage this issue of social disparity is precisely why the film resonated with audiences and critics alike because they are representative of a time in all of our pasts where we were just as innocent.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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References

Carrero, J. S. (n.d.). Javi Navarro, director de "Acabo de tener un sueño": "El corto se está utilizando en las aulas y las reacciones de los alumnos me han emocionado". Retrieved March 05, 2018, from https://jsanchezcarrero.blogspot.com/2017/04/javi-navarro-director-de-acabo-de-tener.html

 

Hanson, R. E. (2017). Mass communication: living in a media world. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

 

(2014). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from http://gmu.kanopystreaming.com/video/ive-just-had-dream