"Sweet Dreams", the second feature film by director Norwegian film The Hypnosis is Ernst de Geer's directorial debut. It is presented as a darkly humorous drama or satirical comedy. However, I am more inclined to interpret it as a serious warning about the consequences of reducing life to a construct of sensationalism and desirability.

From the opening scene, I couldn’t discern whether I was watching flesh-and-blood people or some kind of virtual holograms. Vera (Asta Kamma August), standing against a monochromatic background as if nailed to it, recites a few sentences about her adolescent health issues with robotic stiffness. André (Herbert Nordrum), following her, mechanically introduces a mobile app named Epione, inspired by the Greek goddess of health. Afterward, we see the film crew adjusting their breathing rhythms, blinking patterns, strands of hair, hand positions, posture, and intonation while filming a promotional video.

The parallel between this scene and the prevailing atmosphere of daily life is both obvious and saddening. The imperative for success and polished presentation has supplanted reality. Everything exposed to the gaze and judgment of others must be polished to a high shine because that is how we are valued—at work, in society, and within the family. The sequence of events during the Shake Up Pitch Weekend to secure financial support for the startup project demonstrates that presentation takes precedence over ideas, form over content. The cost of securing a position in an environment where everything is extraordinary, unprecedented, or at least shocking is steep, paid with anxiety, disorientation, and fear of losing something that doesn’t even exist.

The lead actors convincingly portray the struggle to navigate an artificially created world full of falseness and imposed standards that inevitably takes its toll. Vera’s character is particularly endearing to me because she gives hope that discarding masks and returning to oneself is possible.

A few lines from the hypnotherapist during Vera’s treatment—“I sense you’re holding back,” “Maybe smoking isn’t your problem,” “Be yourself”—subtly hint at the key to interpreting the film. There is no doubt about who is hypnotized in The Hypnosis. Vera no longer is; she has awakened the child within, chosen herself, and returned to the basic settings of a human being. The hypnotized environment didn’t know how—or was too afraid—to recognize this.