The Steamy Eva Green Drama You Can Stream On Max
In the two decades that she has been appearing on-screen, French actress Eva Green has assembled one of the most fascinating portfolios in Hollywood. She has worked with the likes of Ridley Scott and Robert Rodriguez, counts Tim Burton as one of her most trusted collaborators, and has helmed television series like "Camelot" and "Penny Dreadful." Oh, and did we mention she was a Bond girl in "Casino Royale?"
2023 marks Green's 20th year in the business, so there's never been a better time to revisit her first credited film role, 2003's "The Dreamers," which is now streaming on Max. Set in the early days of the 1968 student riots in Paris, "The Dreamers" follows American ex-pat Matthew (Michael Pitt), who enters into a strange, erotic relationship with twin siblings Isabelle (Green) and Théo (Louis Garrel).
"The Dreamers" was helmed by famed director Bernardo Bertolucci, perhaps best known for his controversial, Marlon Brando-starring film, "Last Tango in Paris." Green was excited to work with the director and she even had a "Last Tango in Paris" poster in her room. "Even though there were lots of nude scenes, I was desperate to do it," the actress told Vulture in 2020. "I loved the story. I thought it was just a really beautiful love story between three people. It was very Bertolucci: inside a flat, three teenagers exploring."
The Dreamers is an NC-17 cult favorite
A story of three budding cinephiles, "The Dreamers" is full of lively, proto-Film Bro rants, arguments about Chaplin versus Keaton, and impressions of famous actors. Of course, the film also deals with some racy subject matter, so it drummed up controversy upon its release (who could have foreseen?). A few venerated critical voices were smitten nonetheless; A.O. Scott marked "The Dreamers" a New York Times Critic's Pick, and Roger Ebert gave the film four stars. Today, "The Dreamers" has a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Perhaps owing to the influences of critical taste — or audiences' desire to see some titillating taboos on-screen — "The Dreamers" netted $15.3 million worldwide, making it a sizable box office draw for an NC-17 movie.
With its inclusion on Max, "The Dreamers" is as accessible to watch as it has ever been — just don't count Eva Green as one of its viewers. Although she speaks about the experience affectionately, the actress hasn't watched the movie since its release, and she doesn't plan on doing it again. "I prefer to keep the memories," Green said in the same Vulture interview. "In every movie, actually, I prefer the experience rather than watching it. If it's a really bad movie and you had a great experience, you can keep the experience; it's a great movie in your head."