Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

2016 · 131 min · ★ 6.5 · Drama

Turin, 1969. Nine-year-old Massimo’s idyllic childhood is shattered by the mysterious death of his mother. The young boy refuses to accept this brutal loss, even if the priest says she is now in Heaven. Years later in the 90s, adult Massimo has become an accomplished journalist. After reporting on the war in Sarajevo, he begins to suffer from panic attacks. As he prepares to sell his parents’ apartment, Massimo is forced to relive his traumatic past. Compassionate doctor Elisa could help tormented Massimo open up and confront his childhood wounds…

Directed by Marco Bellocchio · Written by Valia Santella

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Sooner

Rent or Buy

Sooner

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 42m together

Sweet Dreams

The Traitor

Both from Marco Bellocchio.

More from Marco BellocchioSee all →

Exterior NightExterior Night · 2022
Exterior Night
8.02022
SeriesDramaWar & Politics
Italy, March 16, 1978. Aldo Moro, president of Christian Democracy, the ruling party, is kidnapped by the extreme left-wing terrorist gang Red Brigades. While the criminals put him on trial and condemn him, the Italian government and Pope Paul VI pull their twisted strings to save his life.
Esterno Notte - Seconda ParteEsterno Notte - Seconda Parte · 2022
Esterno Notte - Seconda Parte
7.92022
MovieDramaHistory
The 1978 kidnapping and assassination of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro by Red Brigades terrorists
Esterno Notte - Prima ParteEsterno Notte - Prima Parte · 2022
Esterno Notte - Prima Parte
7.82022
MovieDramaHistory
The 1978 kidnapping and assassination of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro by Red Brigades terrorists.
Fists in the PocketFists in the Pocket · 1965
Fists in the Pocket
7.81965
MovieDrama
A deeply disturbed and epileptic young man benignly decides to murder other members of his dysfunctional family for altruistic reasons.
PortobelloPortobello · 2026
Portobello
7.82026
SeriesDramaCrime
In the early '80s, Enzo Tortora is one of the most beloved figures on Italian television. But in the midst of Italy's war against organized crime, Enzo's life is upended when he's falsely connected to the notorious Camorra criminal ring.
Slap the Monster on Page OneSlap the Monster on Page One · 1972
Slap the Monster on Page One
7.71972
MovieDramaThriller
Days before the general election, after a girl from a rich family is murdered in an attempted rape, the editor-in-chief of a conservative tabloid tries to derail the police investigation in order to help the right-wing candidates supported by his bosses.
The TraitorThe Traitor · 2019
The Traitor
7.62019
MovieDramaCrime
Palermo, Sicily, 1980. Mafia member Tommaso Buscetta decides to move to Brazil with his family fleeing the constant war between the different clans of the criminal organization. But when, after living several misfortunes, he is forced to return to Italy, he makes a bold decision that will change his life and the destiny of Cosa Nostra forever.
KidnappedKidnapped · 2023
Kidnapped
7.32023
MovieDramaHistory
The story of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, who in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.
Marx Can WaitMarx Can Wait · 2021
Marx Can Wait
7.22021
MovieDocumentary
"Marx can wait" was something Camillo Bellocchio said to his twin Marco the last time they met before the former died at a young age in the heated days of 1968. This documentary is dedicated to his memory.
My Mother's SmileMy Mother's Smile · 2002
My Mother's Smile
7.12002
MovieDrama
A celebrated painter receives a visit from a cardinal's assistant, who informs him that his mother could become a saint.
Good Morning, NightGood Morning, Night · 2003
Good Morning, Night
7.02003
MovieDramaHistory
The 1978 kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, president of the most important political party in Italy at the time, Democrazia Cristiana, as seen from the perspective of one of his assailants -- a conflicted young woman in the ranks of the Red Brigade.
Planet VenusPlanet Venus · 1972
Planet Venus
7.01972
MovieDrama
Matteo is a communist intellectual, the son of a wealthy bourgeois, who found himself blind from an eye after the war. One day in the streets of Rome he meets Amelia, a child suffocated by the bourgeois environment.
It Was the SonIt Was the Son · 2012
It Was the Son
6.92012
MovieComedyCrime
The Ciraulo family lives in the miserable district of Palermo called "Zen". When one of their children dies in a shootout between mafia gangsters they receive compensation and buy a luxury black Volvo. Things go wrong when Trancredi, another son, takes the car out and damages the car door.
VincereVincere · 2009
Vincere
6.72009
MovieDramaHistory
The story of the descent into madness of Mussolini's secret first wife, Ida Dasler, who was seduced by his passion and vigor but blind to the fascist dictator's many flaws.
BattlefieldBattlefield · 2024
Battlefield
6.52024
MovieDramaHistory
These are the years of the First World War and Dr. Stefano Zorzi spends his days in the Exemption Clinic in a large city of Northern Italy, where he not only takes care of soldiers who arrive from the massacre of the front, but also he fights simulation and self-harm of those who hope to be dispensed, by sending them before the Military Court. If Stefano, in fact, does his utmost to heal soldiers and send them back to fight, Dr. Giulio Farradio makes them ill, or helps them to self-injure seriously enough to be exonerated. The two doctors, who went to university together and were great friends, they not only (secretly) challenge each other on a professional level, but also on the sentimental one: they are both linked to Anna, a courageous nurse with a strong character. But when the great ‘Spanish’ fever epidemic arrived in 1918, the time for love, politics and science ends up getting confused dangerously...
Dormant BeautyDormant Beauty · 2012
Dormant Beauty
6.32012
MovieDrama
A mosaic of several intertwined stories questioning the meaning of life, love and hope, set during the last six days in the life of Eluana Englaro, a young woman who spent 17 years in a vegetative state.

More Like This

SpiderSpider · 2002
Spider
6.62002
MovieDramaMystery
A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.
BoogeymanBoogeyman · 2005
Boogeyman
4.92005
MovieThrillerHorror
Every culture has one – the horrible monster fueling young children's nightmares. But for Tim, the Boogeyman still lives in his memories as a creature that devoured his father 16 years ago. Is the Boogeyman real, or did Tim make it up to explain why his father abandoned his family?
The Great SilenceThe Great Silence · 1968
The Great Silence
7.51968
MovieWesternDrama
A mute gunslinger fights in the defense of a group of outlaws and a vengeful young widow, against a group of ruthless bounty hunters.
Downloading NancyDownloading Nancy · 2008
Downloading Nancy
5.42008
MovieDramaRomance
When Albert Stockwell comes home from work one day he finds a note from his wife of 15 years, Nancy, saying she has gone to see friends. After waiting several days, Albert realizes that his wife is missing. Nancy has met her salvation on the Internet in the form of Louis Farley. Nancy and Louis, both wounded souls, take comfort in one another through e-mail, pictures, and promises of perverse sexual encounters.
WoyzeckWoyzeck · 1979
Woyzeck
6.61979
MovieDrama
Having fathered an illegitimate child with his lover, Marie, feckless soldier Franz Woyzeck takes odd jobs around his small town to provide some extra money for them. One job is volunteering for experiments conducted by a local doctor, who puts Woyzeck on a diet of peas. This serves to drive him close to madness, and the discovery that Marie is involved in an affair with the local drum major exacerbates the situation. Pushed too far, Woyzeck resorts to violence.
The Prince of TidesThe Prince of Tides · 1991
The Prince of Tides
6.61991
MovieDramaRomance
A troubled Southern man talks to his suicidal sister's psychiatrist about their family history and falls in love with her (and New York City) in the process.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter