Runaway Dreams (1989) User Reviews

effective dark independent film with powerful and moving moments

[ponygirl-2 · 10/10 · 3 March 1999]

Runaway Dreams is an unrelenting dark film, moving and at times emotionally explosive. The stand-out performance is Kathryn Erbe who plays, "Denise" the "runaway's" sister. It was written by British playwright/screenwriter John Hopkins who gave us Smiley's People and Hiroshima so it has realism and deals with the underbelly of society. Good direction; good pace; great look for the money.

Shocking as in daily reality!

[jos_santen · 8/10 · 13 August 2009]

This is a movie that shockingly perfectly reflects daily reality: innumerable women in the world are led to the ambush that Francine have become a victim of. Despite Runaway Dreams isn't based on a true story, I think most of the elements of the film are recognised by women who have been abused by their father and are caught by the prostitution unwillingly. I strongly recommend every person to watch this movie, in order to become aware of all the immense agony and dangers of the world of prostitution: on the outside, it often looks both innocent and attractive, but on the inside, it often turns any woman's world completely upside down. Hopefully, more people who are visitor of prostitutes become aware of all the pain, horror and cruelest deception that many prostitutes hardly can't cope with. Fathers who have sexually abused their daughter once should feel deeply sorry for all the damage they have done and foresee all the consequences their terrible behavior can have. So this movie is a very, very, comprehensive eye opener for everyone, for both good and bad people!!

This is no dream, but a harsh reality

[PeterMitchell-506-564364 · 8/10 · 28 February 2013]

This film could go unnoticed at the video store, by it's video cover which misrepresents it, focusing up close on the body and legs of a hot woman on the beach. To most films of this ilk, this one put a sting in my tale. We have two sexually abused daughters, the older one, fed up to here, with the bastard stepfather's advances on the younger sister, who really grew up, working as a regular on Law And Order. Older one takes the bus to California with some of Stepfather's cash. With spending money on a hot bikini, her funds become scant, and soon she's another one of those fast learner's, her only real friend, a cross dresser ho, who meets a fortunate demise under a pier. She's pimped out by a real nasty piece of work, Jay (Brian Tarantina). He's one of the most effective pimps I've seen played on the screen, where I realized later, he was an actor of higher stature. Jay has real problems with public relations, like a certain annoying female cop, who's trying to sway our new teen away from this scum. Her first night of initiation, Jay lets his friends come in and do her one by one, where the next morning, fatigued, he has her put on this cute dress, then drive her out to spend a day with this dirty old man, who doesn't like "No" for an answer. In it's finale, the revelation of who this guy really is so much of a shock, that it's a twist, where if you're rich enough and have power, you can buy anything. The story of Runaway Dreams is all too real, the stepfather in this too, a frightening piece of work. There are so many of these kind of films that are cliché'd, only this one's better and effectively works, in the more unpleasant of hooker films, than ran aplenty in the nineties. Some moments are quite unpleasant, but this is a not a happy story, nor is the outcome for little sister who tracks big one down. Our lead looks cute in a bikini, little sister, pretty too, where Jay slowly recruits her among his stable in his little roach infested apartment. We meet some other dirty men, among some weird ones, one who won't let our teenie stay the night, even when she disrobes, offering more sex. If you're into these sort of dramas, rent RD, one of the best of it's kind, a sufficient pleaser, but prepared for some unnerving and confrontational bits.