A selfless teen who has always put the needs of others before her own experiences a personal crisis after setting her best friend up with her handsome new neighbor in an affecting coming-of-age drama starring Agnes Bruckner, Kelli Garner, and Justin Long. Ever since Audrey's (Bruckner) mother died, the compassionate 18-year-old has dedicated her life to caring for her still-grieving father (John Corbett). Despite her desire to go to college and get an education, Audrey remains at her father's side in the remote New Mexico desert community, and passes her free time away in the company of her best friend, Calista (Garner). Calista wants nothing more than to become the next Miss America, though her dreams of continental acclaim are soon sidelined by a sudden, life-changing illness. In the lazy summer following her high-school graduation, Audrey is surprised to see a couple named Mary (Gina Gershon) and Herb (Chris Mulkey) move in to her neighborhood along with their handsome teenage son, Mookie (Long). Though at first Audrey sees Mookie's arrival as a chance to bring a little romance into the life of her friend Calista, after setting the pair up on a date and getting to know her new neighbor a little better, the young matchmaker soon begins to develop feelings for her best friend's new boyfriend. When you've dedicated your entire existence to bettering the lives of others, how do you find true happiness when the only way to be true to your feelings is to go against everything you've ever stood for? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Dreamland is an AmericanDrama film that was released on December 19, 2006. The primary plot focuses concern overcoming fear, struggling friend to friend relationships, and overall coming of age in small-town America.
Plot
Eighteen year old Audrey (Agnes Bruckner) lives with her agoraphobic father (John Corbett) in a remote community in the breathtakingly beautiful New Mexico desert. Though Audrey longs to go to college, she spends her days taking care of her father, who hasn’t left home since Audrey’s mother died, and her best friend Calista (Kelli Garner), who dreams of becoming Miss America but is struggling with Multiple Sclerosis.
The summer after Audrey graduates from high school, her world is changed forever when an attractive young man named Mookie (Justin Long) moves in next door with his mother Mary (Gina Gershon) and her fiancé, Herb (Chris Mulkey). Knowing how much Calista longs for romance, Audrey encourages Mookie to ask Calista on a date. He obliges, and he and Calista soon become a couple. Audrey, however, finds herself developing feelings for Mookie, and as these feelings grow it becomes harder and harder for her to be the dependable, selfless person that her father and best friend have always counted on her to be.
Ultimately, Audrey, who has taken care of everyone around her, finally learns to take care of herself, and those whose lives she touched must find the strength to let her go.
