Though the story starts to make less sense as it nears its conclusion, ‘Come True’ does a number of things right throughout. It’s about a teenage runaway menaced by recurring nightmares who decides to sign up to a sleep disorder study for money and a bed for the night, but things only become worse…
The story engages because of the unpredictable directions it takes, but also due to its subject matter. Dreams and nightmares haven’t been explored enough in films, and the horror genre is the ideal place to do something interesting. Unfortunately it loses focus at the end (though I’m sure it’s ripe for analysing), but the experience getting there is a good one.
The highlight would be the dream sequences. The camera glides forwards through dark areas; warped dreamscapes filled with unsettling images, and they get progressively more disturbing as the narrative develops. We are frequently confronted by a strange figure at the centre of each morbid nightmare, and the appearance often elicits a chill.
These stylish segments – and the rest of the film as a whole – are matched by a brilliant ethereal score, simultaneously entrancing and haunting to further augment the film’s creepy mood as it begins probing at more fascinating ideas and dream logic. It’s all held together by smart direction and a fine lead performance too.
Overall, ‘Come True’ offers more than enough positives to make it a journey worth taking, even if it stumbles at the end. The cinematography and sound are excellent at establishing a mood the dream content warrants, while the creepy imagery consistently produces the desired effect.
Score – 7/10
The SS Criticism 