‘Daydreamers’ Review
Stars: Tran Ngoc Vang, Thuan Nguyen, Chi Pu, Trinh Thao | Written by Timothy Linh Bui, Doan Si Nguyen | Directed by Timothy Linh Bui
Vampire cinema has been reinvented countless times, but Daydreamers carves out its own niche, not with gothic castles or European moors, but through the neon-lit backstreets of modern-day Saigon. It’s a bold, genre-bending vision that blends myth, melancholy, and cultural specificity in a way that’s both refreshing and visually arresting.
At its heart, Daydreamers tells the story of two vampire brothers. Marco is a predator through and through, living in the shadows with a brooding confidence. Nhật, on the other hand, is tormented by conscience, wrestling with what remains of his humanity. Their uneasy balance is disrupted when they encounter Hạ, a strong-willed high school student, and Triệu, the magnetic leader of an underground vampire society. As the threads of love, loyalty, and ancient secrets unravel, what begins as a vampire story shifts into something more emotionally layered – a meditation on identity, longing, and the curse of eternity.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its visuals. From the first scene, it’s clear this isn’t your standard horror flick. The lighting bathes the night in dreamlike hues: rich purples, bruised reds, and glimmers of gold. The production design is intricate, creating a textured world where myth bleeds into the everyday. Action sequences are sleek, sometimes balletic, and often brutal. There’s a particularly stunning rooftop chase that feels more like a dance than a pursuit, with the city sprawled out like a neon jungle below.
Yet for all its atmosphere, Daydreamers struggles to fully ground its emotional stakes. While the central relationships are intriguing, the script at times feels overstuffed, trying to juggle too many themes without fully developing any one of them. Some dialogue moments come across as unnatural, hinting at translation issues or overwritten lines. The pacing falters in the middle stretch, where the film slows to dwell on introspection but loses narrative drive.
Still, there are standout performances. Nhật’s quiet anguish is portrayed with real depth, and Marco has a predatory charisma that lingers. Hạ, full of spirit and conflict, injects energy into every scene she’s in. Triệu, though visually commanding, remains more of an enigma than a character, and one wishes her presence had been given more emotional heft.
Daydreamers doesn’t always hit its mark, but it’s undeniably ambitious and stylistically confident. It’s a reminder that genre can be a gateway, not a limit, to storytelling that’s both culturally rich and emotionally resonant. Despite its flaws, this is a film that dares to dream, even in the dark.
***½ 3.5/5
Daydreamers is hitting theatres across the U.S. on May 2nd, and will be available on all major digital platforms from June 3rd.
