MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie

The Dream

2005 · 90 min

A wry, meandering desert excursion where creative frustration curdles into disorientation, leaving you amused and unsettled in equal measure.

Directed by
Hani al-Shaibani
Genres
Drama
Starring
Abdullah Hasan Ahmed, Ali Al-Jabri, Nawaf Al-Janahi
Overview
A group of frustrated actors, writers and directors take to the desert to make a film about themselves, then get lost in it.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: The Dream

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Hani al-Shaibani
Genres
Drama
Starring
Abdullah Hasan Ahmed, Ali Al-Jabri, Nawaf Al-Janahi
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • absurdstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • art
  • identity
  • isolation
  • obsession
  • survival
Places
  • wilderness
  • road trip
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror2
Humour5
Realism6
Romance2
Tension5
Darkness5
Complexity6
Emotional weight5

More like this

Titles like The Dream

Movie

A Film...

2011

A wry, meandering meta-film about creative blockage that drifts between comedy and malaise, asking patience from anyone watching.

Absurd, satirical, slow-burn · about art and identity

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • art
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
65 min
Details
A Film...Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Timbuktu

2004

A quiet, drifting road movie that wanders through vast desert spaces, leaving you with a sense of restlessness and quiet melancholy.

Slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Via
  • identity
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
TimbuktuHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

It Must Be Heaven

2019

A quiet, deadpan drift through strange cities, where small absurdities quietly echo displacement and belonging.

Satirical, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Via
  • satirical
  • identity
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
103 min
Details
It Must Be HeavenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Melancholy Is a Movement

2015

A quiet, introspective drift through creative paralysis, dreamlike and talky, rewarding patience with a reflective mood.

Slow-burn · about art and identity

Via
  • art
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
75 min
Details
Melancholy Is a MovementHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Gym

2020

A long, talky, self-aware drift through monologues that feels like watching a film think about itself.

Absurd, satirical, slow-burn · about art and identity · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • art
  • identity
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
166 min
Details
GymHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Glory to the Filmmaker!

2007

A playful, self-mocking collage that drifts between genres, leaving you amused and occasionally baffled by its restless invention.

Absurd, satirical · about art and identity · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • art
  • identity
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
108 min
Details
Glory to the Filmmaker!Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Iran Is My Land

1999

A slow, dreamlike desert journey that drifts between reality and fable, leaving you unsettled and thoughtful.

Slow-burn · about art and identity

Via
  • art
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
Iran Is My LandHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hero

1983

A drifting, low-key indie ramble that feels aimless and quietly sad, like a road trip that never quite gets anywhere.

Slow-burn · about identity and isolation · ensemble

Via
  • identity
  • isolation
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
107 min
Details
HeroHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Calamari Union

1985

A deadpan, dreamlike drift through grey streets, funny and quietly sad, like a shaggy-dog fable told with a straight face.

Absurd · about identity and isolation · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • identity
  • isolation
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
81 min
Details
Calamari UnionHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Passion Project

A scrappy, chaotic watch that mines the mess of amateur filmmaking for cringe and laughs, never taking itself too seriously.

Absurd, satirical · about art and identity · ensemble

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • art
  • identity
  • ensemble
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Details
Passion ProjectHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Therapy Done Right

2026

A wry, uncomfortable comedy of two men circling each other, funny and sad in equal measure.

Satirical · about art and identity

Via
  • satirical
  • art
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
97 min
Details
Therapy Done RightHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Airmen

2010

A deadpan, low-key comedy of errors that ambles along with dry absurdity and a quietly melancholic undertow.

Absurd, slow-burn · about identity and isolation

Via
  • absurd
  • identity
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
61 min
Details
AirmenHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Hani al-Shaibani
Written by
Hani al-Shaibani
Starring
Abdullah Hasan Ahmed, Ali Al-Jabri, Nawaf Al-Janahi
Runtime
90 min
Country
United Arab Emirates
Languages
Arabic

TMDBIMDb