When the Dream Wakes Us - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

In a near-future world, Sidney is a gas station clerk feeling left behind by his ambitious girlfriend, Alicia, a medical student destined for success. When a controversial medical device called Somnium hits the market, allowing users to ...See moreIn a near-future world, Sidney is a gas station clerk feeling left behind by his ambitious girlfriend, Alicia, a medical student destined for success. When a controversial medical device called Somnium hits the market, allowing users to lucidly control and script their dreams-Sidney sees an escape. While Alicia buys the device to help her grandmother, Gabrielle, fight dementia by retaining memories of her late husband, Sidney, uses it to live a life of glamour and celebrity affairs that his real life cannot provide. What starts as a nightly hobby quickly spirals into a dangerous addiction. To stay in the dream world longer, Sidney begins abusing black-market sleeping pills, becoming a "Zed Head," a junkie for sleep. As Sidney checks out of reality, a darker threat emerges: Terry, a socially awkward acquaintance, also uses Somnium. However, Terry uses the machine to simulate a romantic relationship with Alicia, eventually becoming unable to distinguish his programmed fantasy from reality. As Sidney's addiction costs him his job and his relationship, Terry's delusion turns violent. The two men-one escaping reality and one rewriting it-collide in a terrifying standoff. While Sidney survives the physical threat, the psychological damage is done. In a tragic twist on recovery, Sidney realizes that when reality becomes too painful to bear, the only "happy ending" left is one he has to program himself-even if it costs him his life. Written by Rodney Simmons Jr See less