Strawberry Mansion
Bottom Line
The very best genre films are those that engage us, entertain us, and enlighten us—and Strawberry Mansion ticks all those boxes with aplomb.
In the not-too-distant future, an all-seeing surveillance state conducts dream audits to collect taxes on the unconscious lives of the populace. Mild-mannered government agent James Preble (Kentucker Audley) travels to a remote farmhouse to audit the dreams of Arabella “Bella” Isadora (Penny Fuller), an eccentric, ageing artist. Entering Bella’s vast VHS archive, which contains a lifetime of dreams, Preble stumbles upon a secret that offers him a chance at love and a life less ordinary.
Full of wild dreamscapes and imaginative low-fi effects, this playful film is packed with invention, charm, and ideas. Part part dystopian sci-fi, part slipstream daydream, part love story, Strawberry Mansion has all the hallmarks of a film that’s destined to become a hit via work-of-mouth, rather than any flashy ad campaign.
Despite its occasionally rambling storytelling, and over-long surreal sequences, there’s a wistful longing underlying Strawberry Mansion that is heard to ignore. It tugs at the heart-strings, it inspires, and, ultimately leaves us with hope. The result is something wonderful.
Strawberry Mansion in select cinemas and on demand 16th September.
Paula Hammond - Features Editor
