Strawberry Mansion

A typically surreal moment from Strawberry Mansion

Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney's Strawberry Mansion is a Sci-Fi forelock scratcher that succeeds more as a modest spectacle more than it does as a comprehensible narrative. Set in 2035 in a future in which dreams are taxed by the government, the film follows James Preble, a sad sack dream auditor ( played by Mr. Audley), tasked with a particularly difficult case. He travels to an isolated mansion of an older woman living off the grid. Bella (Penny Fuller) has over two thousand VHS tapes of dreams that Preble needs to audit. She extends a warm welcome, but things are not as they appear. As Preble drops further down the rabbit hole of Bella's dreams, he becomes both emotionally entangled with her and intrigued with the possibility that she has uncovered a sinister element within dreams.

Birney's background is in animation and Strawberry Mansion benefits from the many surreal touches contained in the dream sequences. The film succeeds as a social satire, particularly the opening sequence where Preble orders a "chicken shake" at a fast food joint. There is a ramshackle quality to the film that is both disarming and charming. Strawberry Mansion, which features relatives of the directors in featured roles, has the feel of a home movie at times. Sets and costumes, particularly Preble's dream auditing helmet, look like the results of a fifth grade art project. Still, the film has enough professional elements, particularly Tyler Davis' cinematography, Dan Deacon's music and Penny Fuller's assured performance as Bella, for it to transcend its low budget origins. I won't argue that Strawberry Mansion is a fully satisfying film, but it shows promise.