Come True (2020) User Reviews

Enjoyable, If Watched Properly

[stevenevans-28597 · 7/10 · 22 June 2022]

This is one of those movies that will only resonate with a certain type of audience. Even then, I believe that, in order for its magic to truly work, it must be watched under the right conditions. You'll need a place that is dark and quiet, with little potential for interruptions -- like phones ringing, or that sort of thing.

Despite what anyone says, I easily don't consider this to be a horror movie. So if you're a huge horror fan, and are looking to be scared, or you're looking for lots of gore, then this isn't what you're looking for. Also, if you're an impatient viewer, who needs lots of crazy things happening, in order to constantly keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat, then you should pass on this one. This movie is for the type of person who can appreciate a slower-paced, simple story. It's not boring. However, you have to be the type of person who doesn't need a lot of stimulation, or a complex plot, in order to be intrigued. It basically has the pace of a tempered drama -- although, it's not a drama.

I watched this movie, early in the morning, while it was still dark, and while the world was quiet and still. I truly believe that, if I hadn't watched it in that setting, I wouldn't have appreciate it, as well. This is because it's an atmosphere-driven movie.

One of the things that quickly stuck out, for me, is some of the music, and the overall tone of the film. By the end, I knew that I would likely purchase the soundtrack, and since, have. This is one of those movies where the music plays a critical role.

The casting, for this movie, is done well. I've never seen the lead actress before. However, had someone else been cast in this role, you'd certainly have a different movie. I was impressed by her performance, since she made her character feel authentic, even though there isn't a ton of dialogue. She also has a certain look that easily fits the part.

I truly believe that most people won't like this movie. However, if you're the type of person who can appreciate atmosphere, and doesn't need a lot of loud, fast-paced stimulation, then you may enjoy this movie.

had potential but crash lands

[kqyxxp · 5/10 · 18 April 2022]

This movie started out great. If you had asked me to rate it half way though, i would have rated it in the 8 range. Second half of the movie gets boring and in a few points kind of silly. Its one of those movies too where the ending negates what happened in the movie and makes it frustrating. And as others have said, nothing overtly scary happens (some scary images but it goes no where) so i wouldnt even consider it horror, it is definitely more sci fi.

It is not horrible but barely worth the watch.

Could Have Been Much More

[theodore62 · 6/10 · 17 March 2021]

This movie has several things going for it, but ultimately disappoints. The central idea is a good one, and the lead actor gives a strong performance. She's likely to become more well known soon. The cinematography is strong, and the score is good, as is the direction, which owes quite a bit to Kubrick. Where the movie fails is in the writing, and to a lesser extent in the performances of the supporting cast. The dialogue is sometimes trite, and the plot is thin with holes. The end is both predictable and yet somehow even more disappointing than one expects. I don't mean to be harsh; the movie is worth a look. Just be prepared to be let down a bit by it all, in the end.

Young girl is in a sleep study. Or maybe not?!

[TxMike · 10 December 2021]

Canadian movie, it opens with visions of blurred, shadowy male figures with glowing eyes. We sense it is a dream then we see a teenage girl waking up in a sleeping bag on the bottom part of a slide in a town park. Then later by chance she sees an ad on a bulletin board for volunteers for a sleep study. She hasn't been sleeping well, has recurring nightmares, and frequently falls asleep in class. So she snaps at the chance, also because it will pay her.

So the movie goes on and I found it very interesting. There is a 30-odd year old movie called "Jacob's Ladder" and of that movie I wrote "everything in the film depicts dreams, hallucinations, and memories during those few minutes before death, as he is fighting for his life." That was my interpretation and there are things in this movie that remind me of that.

The big reveal, the "twist", comes at the very end of the movie with a message on her cell phone. Intellectually I know what happened during the movie but I can't put it all together in a coherent summary. I don't fully grasp what the filmmaker was depicting. There are certain symbols, like the two times 7:11 and 10:01 which apparently mean something to those who study spiritualism but escape me.

Am I glad I spent the time watching it? Yes, I am, even though I can't fully explain what the movie is saying. Would I watch it again? Probably not. The main actress is interesting, she plays an 18-yr-old (needed for the sex scene) and was probably 20 during filming, but with her short blond hair and youthful features looked almost like my 12-yr-old blond headed grandson. I don't say that in any negative way, I found her to be very appropriate for the role and her acting was very effective.

On DVD from my public library, my wife skipped, not her kind of movie.

Good, but I really wanted to like it so much more

[kuarinofu · 7/10 · 13 March 2021]

Come True is an interesting one. The title has multiple meanings, the ending message also seems to have them.

Yet I still wanted it to be so much better. All the visual substance I enjoyed quite a lot. The soundtrack was strangely recognizable but still good. The production design was very reminiscent of Posessor (2020), as well as some of the lighting choices were. Also, the CGI nightmare cut-ins were creative, they felt inspired by some dark art themes, some videogame inspirations even, like Dark Souls and especially Darkwood, or maybe something else I'm not aware of.

Story-wise it is somewhat messy, there is a justification for this, but sometimes it feels really disconnected. The twist felt surprising but in a weaker way. At some point, it becomes clear that they are building up to something they cannot deliver cause they literally have like 2-3 long segments of build-ups that lead to nothing. The problem is that the type of story that they are using requires vague hints or better understandable symbolism. I've seen a couple of similar films but I don't want to name them to avoid spoilers. The way they did it just doesn't connect. Also, the idea of merging the real world with the subconscious nightmare world was awesome, but they still messed it up with that awkward twist.

There isn't much in terms of characters or character development. Some of the dialogue is interesting, but as I've said the characters do not drive the story, they could've been doing anything else or not doing anything at all, the ending would still be the same. This concept is similar to the Evil Within game series, actually.

I really hope that I've just missed the bigger picture (and possible hints) and the film is better than I understood it, but when I re-think what I just saw, I just can't find more good stuff to endorse. Worth a watch.

I didn't hate this movie but I didn't really like it that much either.

[mochteam · 3/10 · 5 February 2022]

I didn't hate this movie but I didn't really like it that much either. It was like watching the first 15 minutes of a film where they establish the plot...except that first 15 minutes last 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The story never really gets off to go anywhere. It also is more of a sci-fi film than a horror film. I'm not sure how this movie would constitute as "horror" especially when it has so much Synth pop/Synth wav Blade Runner music going on. Nothing sinister about it.

There's even this one scene where a synth pop song comes on while the lead actress is watching some sort of classic MTV like dream video. I mean if this movie was some sort of Synth Pop music themed movie with no dialogue I think it would be cool... but it's not it's an actual movie that's supposed to have a plot and dialogue.

This movie is like watching the boring bits of Nightmare on Elm Street with the "Never Ending Story" Soundtrack playing over it.

It seems that the director was being too artistic with the visuals and the music to invest into the story. It has the elements to be a good story and decent enough actors but they don't ever do anything with any of it. It's like this movie could sit right on the shelf next to that one other movie "Sucker Punch" (another movie about nothing really) and fit right at home along side it.

This movie is really half baked. Perhaps if it were the introduction to a "series" that had a plot that progressed instead of a 2 hour film than it would seem more fitting but as it is watching this movie is like driving on a straight road with no curves and no scenery to look at.

Sure the trip is pleasant enough because it's uneventful but it's also highly forgettable because nothing happens but at least you have your radio to play some synth pop tunes along the way I guess.

Also... the ending is absolutely ridiculous.

A Trippy Slow-burn

[corpsevapour · 8/10 · 14 March 2021]

There have been quite a few slow-burn type movies coming through the grape-vine and the majority have been boring or way too slow with minimal story (looking at you synchronic).

Come True was filmed in my home-town of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. For those that live here you'll know that not too many films get made here and the ones that do can be subpar at best due to budget's being constrained or lack of vision.

Might I say that this film has an extraordinary vision looking into the deep recesses of the mind. It takes a deep look at nightmares and without giving too much away visualizes them in a trippy 90's CRT format that you have to see in order to believe. The renders and compositing that the VFX team did is beyond chilling to the bone and I highly recommend paying extra attention to those sections in order to get the most out the movie.

The ending is a bit weird though and I have to mention it seemed a bit rushed for a chase sequence. I would have loved to see this extended a bit with more added tension.

Case-in-point not every movie is perfect. Come True makes those imperfections work for itself and delivers a coherent and intriguing story about dreams and how they affect us. Highly recommend to watch while smoking a joint and letting the soundtrack take you on a trip.

A dreamy, visual story, with a poor ending (don't look at IMDB images of the movies, there's a massive SPOILER!)

[foxtografo · 6/10 · 6 October 2022]

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and visuals of this movie. The dream scene's designs are so cool, I would watch them all in a row, really dark art there.

This is the strongest aspect of the movie.

The sound is really good too, adds up a lot to the atmosphere, creating a creepy, mysterious vibe.

Good performances throughout, most of the characters are quite solid in their parts.

Story wise, there's a good tension and mystery feeling through the first two acts, but the third one feels stretched and even a bit incoherent by times. This is fixed my the very ending's twist, but I'm not too sure I liked the it. It's a valid one, but it might feel cheap or overdone for some people. I don't think it's a brilliant ending, but it serves well to a decent movie.

As I say on the title, there's a massive spoiler on the images of this movie on IMDB, so don't look at them if you haven't watch the movie yet.

I recommend this movie to visual lovers and if you're in the mood of a very slow paced movie.

Very underrated

[ontheis · 10/10 · 22 June 2022]

I saw this movie 2 years ago, and it's still among the best ones since the beginning of 2020s, in horror genre. It's memorable, has a lot of scary stuff, it's stylish and atmospheric, what else do you expect? There aren't a lot of high quality horrors currently, and this one really stands out. Right now, the rating is 6,0. I guess it will take some time before this movie gets higher score, because it's really underrated.

Ambitious

[begob · 7/10 · 13 August 2021]

An insomniac student signs up for a sleep study, only to find her dreams mean more than she knew ...

Good performances in a story that reaches to another dimension in the exploration of character. The dreamscapes are macabre and well shot, and while the pace is patchy there is a moment of deep fear as the threat is fully revealed. The score is also interesting, except for ten minutes around the middle point when it seems to tread water just as the tension should be piled on.

A couple of points where credulity is stretched, but by the end I found myself having to rethink them because of the change in the logic of the story telling. There is a key to this, but I haven't figured out how far back the crucial change occurred. The director points to a Jungian framework, with captions naming four aspects of the psyche - the persona, anima and animus, the shadow, and the self. At the start we encounter the shadow, which is clearly part of a dream, but looking back it's unclear whether we touch base with reality at all - and so the heroine's odd domestic circumstances are never explained. There are a few more clues, like the change of eye colour, the disappearance of the other female volunteer, the simultaneity of the dreams, and some deep point about having sex with one's own opposite, but I'd have to watch more closely to piece it together.

The danger with hanging a story from a framework is that you lose touch with the character and drama. This does a good job, but I'd really have to trust the director's skill to commit to rewatching.

Overall: Ambitious, but I wasn't sure what it was offering me.

Imperfectly compelling

[ebeckstr-1 · 7/10 · 9 July 2021]

Wow can I understand the mixed reviews after watching this film. I come down on the thumbs up side, partly because of the audaciousness of the script and the pacing, and the clever and well managed homages and allusions to 80s science fiction cinema.

Regarding the pacing, one of the most common criticisms of this movie appears to be that it is "slow" or "boring." In my viewing experience it is deliberately paced, which is not the same thing, and part of what makes it a mesmerizing, dreamlike experience. The somber, atmospheric score adds to this effect. Come True is a curtain blowing in the nightime breeze, in slow motion.

The other main criticism of Come True (a cool title for this particular movie) is how it ends - what is revealed behind the curtain of dreams. The conclusion is unexpected, to say the least, but ultimately, again, I liked it for the sheer audaciousness of it.

There are numerous allusions to classic sci-fi movies of the 1980s. I think Come True has about as much eye symbolism as Blade Runner. In one scene there's a poster of Schwarzenegger from the first Terminator movie, in his famous sunglasses, and one of the secondary characters wears gigantic spectacles clearly reminiscent of Tyrell's in Blade Runner. There is another dramatic homage to the Blade Runner eye symbolism, too, later in the film, but I don't want to give anything away. The plot consciously incorporates aspects of Dreamscape and Brainstorm as well.

All of that is especially interesting if you're a fan of '80s science fiction, but it also somehow heightens the dreamlike quality of Come True. Movies are inherently dreamlike, and almost literally like watching someone else's lucid dreams. It's therefore fitting that this film's tapestry of subconscious and unconscious imagery should be dyed in cinematic references.

As I'm writing this review I'm realizing that, despite its flaws - including what I feel is an unnecessary and eye rolling plot development exactly 2/3 of the way through - I like this movie quite a bit. I don't usually write such long reviews, so that's a reflection of how compelling I found the experience.

Philip k Dick book/short story type of sci fi

[rsvp321 · 8 April 2021]

Best dream sequences I've ever seen in video. Some bits along the way hint at the ending, but very discretely.

Slow moving, but definitely worth the time.

what kind of film did I just see?

[dromasca · 8/10 · 9 January 2021]

'Come True' (2020) based on a story by Daniel Weissenberger and written, directed and filmed by Anthony Scott Burns is one of those films about which at the end of watching you wonder 'what did I actually see?'. It is, of course, a horror film, following many of the rules of the genre, at least until a certain point. Above all, however, it is an oneiric film, a dream on several levels: because at the objective level the script tells a story about sleep, dreams and especially nightmares, because of the way it is made and filmed, and because the final explanation that provides a kind of key to what we have seen, a key that we can accept or not. Of course, I will say nothing about the end, so as not to commit the sin of revealing anything that would rob the viewers of the pleasure of surprise. I will only say that this film has good chances to please both the horror genre lovers and those who look for smart movies without minding if they are strange.

The film debuts as a psychological thriller about coping with sleep disorders, chronic fatigue, and the nightmares caused by them. Sarah ( Julia Sarah Stone) is a college student who spends her nights in parks or at her friend's house, in restless sleep, haunted by nightmares. The proposal to participate in a scientific study of sleep disorders, which provides her with a comfortable bed at night, seems to answer exactly the problems she faces. But what exactly is this clinic, with its immaculate white walls and slightly retro-technical monitoring devices? What is the purpose of the research? The nightmares return, they amplify, the worlds of dream and seemingly objective reality begin to multiply, to mix. The nightmares do not stop with the awakenings.

Why does 'Come True' attract and captivate? First I would mention the cinematography. The representation of dreams, including nightmares, has a rich tradition in the history of the film from Buñuel and Hitchcock to mention two illustrious predecessors. The solution to visualising the dreams proposed by Anthony Scott Burns is not looking for the spectacular but for the psychological impact - his dreams are dark and cloudy, just as we feel when we have a bad dream. The lead actress, Julia Sarah Stone, creates a fantastic role. I rarely throw superlatives, but here I can't help but notice that she is also perfectly distributed physically, and that her expressiveness is at the Academy Awards level. At the age of 23, she proves that she has a ton of talent but also experience, with 38 films in her filmography already listed by IMDB. Compared to her, the other interpretations fade, including that of Landon Liboiron, in the role of the researcher in the sleep study clinic who provides support to the heroine in critical moments. I also liked the ending, although I read it being criticised by other commentators. I think it has the great quality of not trying to explain everything we saw, leaving us to keep thinking and asking questions. Just as intense dreams continue to accompany us after waking up. Recommended viewing.

Slow burn movie with a really bad ending

[siderite · 6/10 · 12 September 2021]

So the entire film is about this girl who almost ran away from home who enlists in a sleep study. They monitor her brainwaves on trippy CRT monitors from the 90s and transform them into images to see what she is dreaming about. More or less everything makes sense until the very end, when the spell is broken and you realize that it is all a pretentious movie with "a message" that you care nothing about at all. I don't want to spoil it, because many people seem to have enjoyed the dream mysticism and symbolism of which the film is full of. Myself, I was intrigued by the obvious plot and was severely disappointed by the ending.

All in all the acting is decent, the pacing is slow, but consistent and the dream sequences, even if they look like something made in a few days on a 3D designer, are pretty cool. What I disliked profoundly is the bait and switch at the end.

If you want to enjoy it, take it as a personal project of the writers to express something personal, like Phantasm was, and give it a try. Just know in advance that nothing truly scary or active will happen and that the film is slowly, very slowly, getting to its point by avoiding it most of the film.

sleepy time

[ferguson-6 · 5/10 · 11 March 2021]

Greetings again from the darkness. Anyone who has experienced recurring nightmares understands how they impact not just the time you are asleep, but all waking hours as well. Anthony Scott Burns is the writer-director-cinematographer and is working from a story by Daniel Weissenberger. The film is blend of science fiction and horror, and Burns excels in creating an atmosphere of dread upfront.

Burns kicks things off by immersing us in the dark, troubling dream of high school student Sarah (Julia Sarah Stone, "The Killing"). She wakes up not in her bed at home, but instead wrapped in a sleeping blanket on a local playground. Sarah prefers to sleep in a park or at a friend's house, rather than at her own home for reasons we can infer. Desperate for sleep and rest, she answers an advertisement for a sleep study at the university.

Based on the cars, movie posters, and tech equipment, the film is set in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Even the synth music is of the era, courtesy of Electric Youth and Burns' own Pilotpriest. The music mirrors the film in that it's superb in the beginning, and less effective in the second half. The blue-gray color palette and icy cold weather perfectly complement the unorthodox sleep study, and those who are running it. Jeremy/Riff (Landon Liboiron, TRUTH OR DARE, 2018) is the creepiest while looking like a bearded Harry Potter, though it takes a while to unravel his story. Also present is Dr. Meyer (Christopher Heatherington), who does little more than quietly observe. Allowing this character to play a bigger role could have benefited the story.

The mystique of dreams is what's at play here, and the blinking monitors and concerned look of the scientists all serve their purpose. Unfortunately, it's the dreams that let us down. The shadow man associated with sleep paralysis is on display here, but his glowing eyes amongst the abundance of gray lacked the eerie imagery need to capture my imagination. In fact, I found the dream sequences to drag, even after the first one got my hopes up.

It's highly likely that Burns is a fan of filmmaker David Cronenberg, and we do appreciate the homage to Stanley Kubrick and Rodney Ascher. However, to be truly effective, a sci-fi/horror film, especially one dabbling in pseudo-psychology, must have more than the right look. Lead actress Julia Sarah Stone brings a unique appearance to the role, and she's the reason I stuck with it until the end. My gut feeling is this could have been a world class short film, and it seems probable that I missed a deeper message here. But neither of those was enough to overcome my feeling of boredom during the film's second half. COME TRUE will open in select theaters, digital platforms, and cable VOD on March 12, 2021 courtesy of IFC Midnight

This is an impressive movie with amazing ambient music!

[UniqueParticle · 10/10 · 10 September 2022]

Starts off with some dark images in a bizarre setting and focuses on an adorable girl named Sarah that experiences horrifying nightmares. A little bit in Sarah finds a way to experiment in a company to potentially help her or try to understand what's going on. Come True is a very underrated gem in the horror genre, it should be praised! The acting is exceptional, imagery is glorious, the music is so damn good, I'm in awe of this movie and would highly recommend it to anyone. I'm surprised this has a 5.9 at least deserves a 7 on most anything. I sorta see how people wouldn't enjoy Come True but it's truly well made, I hope overtime it becomes a cult classic.

Too slow, too long, too directionless

[kngitrm · 1/10 · 28 April 2021]

The whole movie is unbelievably slow. Instead of setting a mood, it just made the whole experience a boring one. There is a 10 minute shot of her slowly walking. Every pan is excruciatingly slow. There are shots that are repeated over and over again and nothing new happens in them except the music gets inexplicably more tense - despite nothing happening on the screen. If you cut out the grainy images of shadowy figures, her slowly walking places for no reason, and the scenes that were just the same 3 second shots looped over and over again, the movie would have been half the length.

I was seduced

[danthepoetman · 7/10 · 23 June 2022]

Rated this a big 7. Not sure it is worth it. But I was seduced by it all. Despite some redundancy, it really does manage to create an amazing atmosphere of oneirism. The dream sequences are meddled with the supposed scenes of reality in such a way that you don't know anymore if it is dream or reality. The plot line is a bit limited, but if only for this slow, sleep-walking realm created throughout, it is well worth the watch.

The film obviously has a small budget, but it is indeed very well made. I am very impressed with the director and the production crew. Even the score is good. The director, Anthony Scott Burns, seems to have put a hand to much of the production. I'm very interested in seeing what he will create in the future.

This is a Canadian movie. Usually, good flicks from Canada either come from Toronto or from Montreal. This one is from Alberta, for a change. Another interesting aspect to it.

Unfortunately, the ending is a tiny bit disappointing. The writers are not sure how to end it, and chose to create some kind of gathering of endings, or either an uncertain one. They should have set themselves on one only.

This said, I was so seduced by the film that I think of watching it again.

Not all bad but don't delivers

[paolozavatta · 5/10 · 5 November 2020]

In my opinion is a decent film but not a good story. The aesthetic is pleasant with a retro vibe, the music also as a very 80 vibe with some retrowave in it, i also liked a lot the directions, there were a lot of scenes that were pleasant to watch and evocative. So why they low rating? It's simple: the story is slow, the pacing is off and the final payoff is dull and not very original. The film start with a good concept that could have been developed in something interesting, but from the midpoint on decide to stop building and run toward a mediocre ending with a very cliché closure. The main actress was very good at least. So should you watch it? In my opinion it is still worth your time, just for the good parts i mentioned, but still don't expect too much.

Surprising! Something Unique!

[tiskec · 8/10 · 26 August 2021]

You know, I didn't think the story was that bad; or the acting. There were a lot of questions throughout the film, which I thought were plotholes, but the ending cleared everything up.

What mostly impressed me was the dark concept video art/settings in the dream states. Very few movies now can hold this setting or visual atmosphere through an entire film. The dream sequences were so creative and awe inspiring. It isn't like your everyday regurgitated monster or slasher crap. Finally, something unique.

I rated this movie 8/10. It was a huge surprise to me. If you like dark, creepy fantasy art then this movie is the way to go. I would recommend this movie to friends.

Okay to watch once.

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 25 March 2021]

Come True is worth a watch. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending but that's just my opinion. The story itself is engaging to watch. The atmospheric soundtrack brings a mysterious ambiance that keeps you focussed on the story. The sound was the best part of this movie. The acting wasn't bad even though not everybody were perfect. It's not really a movie I would recommend but it's good enough if you have nothing else to do and like mysteries with a pinch of sci-fi.

Snooze

[richardson-samueln · 5/10 · 14 March 2021]

Snooze-worthy pace with few scares. Offers what initially seems like might be a strong ending, then overindulges itself with a feeble, recycled attempt at a twist. Notable performance by the leading actor Julia Sarah Stone.

I loved every minute!

[rasul1976 · 9/10 · 14 March 2021]

Everything about this movie is exactly what I wish for. A spellbinding story. You have to use your brain. Dreamlike music. Great actors. Amazing scenes. Different! I absolutely loved this gem!

ZzzZzz

[sophieryan-42207 · 2/10 · 15 March 2021]

Took me 2 nights to watch this, fell asleep the first night. Tried again the second night and again I fell asleep, but forced myself awake to finish this. The movie is about dreaming, I would've had a better time dreaming than watching the rest of it. Don't bother guys, if you're watching it for the thrills and horror you will be left disappointed.

Interesting!

[redn_path01 · 7/10 · 19 March 2021]

This is an unexpectedly interesting movie that contains actually new things compared to the horror(ish) movies from the last years.

It has a lot of damn COOL gritty dark dream scenery that is intriguing and relaxing to watch, not to mention beautiful in its own sense. I have to say that I enjoy dark things though!

The combination of retro screens + UI elements and modern tech works really well here as well. The VFX blend quite well with real elements, I have a hard time to tell which is which at times.

Also the movie has a really good soundtrack.

There are a couple of things I don't like. One stereotypical sex scene that one could sense coming from a lightyear away (I don't think the personality of the characters needed that to be included!), and the ending kinda pulls the foundation away from all the nice spooky stuff by supplying the viewer with ... an unsatisfactory cheap explanation. Felt like a let-down.

That being said the movie is definitely worth watching, and if you watch it with friends you can have some good discussion at the side too! Looking forward to the bluray release so I can check out the making-of!