What Dreams may Come
As Christopher James Nielsen
1998 | Drama, Romance, Fantasy | 113 min | PG-13
As Christopher James Nielsen
Vincent Ward
Ronald Bass
Michael Kamen
October 2, 1998
May 3, 2011 (Pre-order
May 25, 1999
March 4, 2003 (Special Edition) (Order
Interscope Communications, Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Metafilmics
Polygram Filmed Entertainment
Christopher James Nielsen
Annie Nielsen
The Tracker
Albert Lewis
Four years after the tragic death of their two children in a car accident, Dr. Chris Nielsen is estranged from his wife, Annie, a painter who finds solace in deep and mystical expressionist landscapes. When flustered Annie calls him for support, he rushes out to help and is killed in a road accident. His ghost is greeted by an old mentor, Albert, who leads him in Ghost-of-Christmas-Past-style to Annie's side. But when Chris realizes that his adherence to the corporeal world is torture to himself and the living Annie, he breaks free of his earthly bonds and dives into the visual smorgasbord that is the afterlife. There he splashes though clods and gobs of technicolor paint in breathtaking landscapes suggested to him by Annie's paintings. From there, to grandiose Romanesque cities of flying children, Chris and his old dog are met by a gorgeous stewardess, who reveals herself as a nearly forgotten face from his past. As Chris reconciles with his children in a world where imagination is his palette, in the real world Annie becomes sicker and sicker, and finally enters the afterlife herself. Due to the myriad rules of the Other Side, she is unable to join Chris or her children, and Chris begins a fight for his future with his soul mate.
I need Annie.
That'll change in time.
Oh, come on, Einstein! Time's not on my watch anymore. Time does not exist here. And wherever it went, it's not going to make me need Annie any less.
A whole human life is just a heartbeat here in Heaven. Then we'll all be together forever.
So what is the "me?"
My brain, I suppose.
Your brain? Your brain is a body part. Like your fingernails or your heart. Why is that the part that's you?
Because I have sort of a voice in my head, the part of me that thinks, that feels, that is aware that I exist at all.
So if you're aware you exist, then you do. That's why you're still here.
Boy, I screwed up. I'm in dog Heaven.
I found you in hell. Don't you think I could find you in Jersey?
Thought is real. Physical is the illusion. Ironic, huh? Drink your coffee.
Needs milk.
Don't push your luck.
That's when I realized I'm part of the problem. Not because I remind you. But because I couldn't join you. So I left you alone. Don't give up, okay?
Is that a kind of occupational hazard of soul mates? One's not much without the other?
Whoever you are, whatever you are, do you think you can take him from me?!
Sorry, babe. There're some things I have to say. I only have a few moments left. I'm sorry for all the things I'll never give you. I'll never buy you another meatball sub with extra sauce. And always the big one. I'll never make you smile. I just wanted us to be old together. As two old farts laughing at each other as our bodies fell apart. Together at the end, by that lake in your painting. That was our heaven, see? There's lots of things to miss. Books... naps... kisses... and fights. Oh God, we had some great ones! Thank you for those. Thank you for every kindness. Thank you for our children. For the first time I saw them. Thank you for being someone I was always proud to be with. For your guts, for your sweetness. For how you always looked, for how I always wanted to touch you. God, you were my life. I apologize for every time I ever failed you. Especially this one...
There's a man Ian never got to know, the man he was growing up to be. He's a good-looking clear-eyed fella... about 25. I can see him. He's the type of guy men want to be around, because he has integrity, you know? He has character. You can't fake that. And he's a guy women want to be around, too. Because there's tenderness in him... respect... and loyalty, and courage. And women respond to that. Makes him a terrific husband, this guy. I see him as a father. That's where he really shines. See, when he looks in his kid's eyes and that kid knows that his dad really, really sees him... he sees who he is. Then that child knows that he is an amazing person. He's quite a guy... that I'll never get to meet. I wish I had.
If I was going through fucking hell, I'd only want one person in the whole goddamn world by my side.
You called your son Albert. Who is that?
First doctor I interned under. He was like a father to me.
Ah. His words were gold. A brilliant mind. Do you recall what he practiced before he turned to pediatrics?
Child...
...psychiatry. Yeah. And he always was a slow reader. But these... used to be rimless, and the rest of me... used to be black.
Can I sit here?
Actually, no. Two years ago, I reserved this specific area.
What if I say please?
That's the one exception.
What's true in our minds is true, whether some people know it or not.
What some folks call impossible, is just stuff they haven't seen before.
You don't understand.
It's not about understanding... it's about not giving up!
I forgive you.
For killing my children and my sweet husband?
For being so wonderful a guy would choose hell over heaven just to hang around you.
After life there is more.
The end is just the beginning.
June 23, 1997 - unknown
San Francisco, CA
Oakland, CA
Piedmont, CA
San Jose, CA
Treasure Island, CA
Angel Falls, Estado Bolivar, Venezuela
Alameda, CA
Blackfoot Indian Reservation, MT
Glacier National Park, MT
Niagara Falls, NY
San Rafael, CA
(St. Vincent's Church)
October 15, 1998
November 20, 1998
November 26, 1998
November 27, 1998
November 28, 1998
December 2, 1998
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December 25, 1998
December 26, 1998
December 30, 1998
January 27, 1999
February 26, 1999
March 19, 1999 (premiere)
March 26, 1999
March 25, 1999
April 2, 1999
April 16, 1999
April 23, 1999
May 14, 1999
June 5, 1999
October 28, 1999
February 20, 2007 (DVD premiere)
Au-delà de nos rêves
Hinter dem Horizont
Más allá de los sueños
Al di là dei sogni
Amor Além da Vida
Askin gücü
Csodás álmok jönnek
Drömmarnas värld
Miedzy pieklem a niebem
O iubire fara sfârsit
Para Além do Horizonte
$85,000,000
$55,382,927 (USA)
$16,000,000 (international)
$71,382,927 (total)
$4,266,463 (2,526 theaters)
2,531 theaters
$22,673,102
Won - 1999 - Best Visual Effects
Nom - 1999 - Best Set Decoration
Won - 1999 - Favorite Supporting Actor (Cuba Gooding Jr.)
Won - 1999 - Best Visual Effects
Nom - 1999 - Outstanding Supporting Actor (Cuba Gooding Jr.)
Won - 1999 - Best Electronic Visual Effects
Won - 1999 - Excellence in Production Design
