A fantastical tale of the dream world colliding with the real world, Sea of Dreams is an ethereal fantasy full of color and romance. Bold, beautiful cinematography, excellent acting and wondrous chemistry add to the serene score by Luis Enríquez Bacalov.

Blessed by the sea, Grecia (Sendi Bar) is discovered floating in the shallow waters of the beach, mysteriously alive and adorned in seashells. Celebrating her miraculous return from a boat trip in which her parents perished, the town is enlivened by her presence and the sea produces plentiful catches of golden fish. When Grecia’s sweetheart Benjamin drowns in ominous black waters, she is believed to be cursed by the jealous sea that wants her all to itself. Photographer Marcelo (Johnathon Schaech) ventures into town and is immediately infatuated by Grecia’s beauty, and struggles to win her for himself, despite the town's hatred of the cursed beauty, and her interests in Benjamin’s brother, Sebastion (Nicholas Gonzalez).

The most noticeable highlight of the film is the effulgent cinematography by Chris Chomyn and the way the camera endows every scene with picturesque beauty. Bright and dazzling colors are immediately apparent in every daytime shot, and the vibrancy of the people and exotic locale is gushingly aglow. The actors are likewise touched by bold hues, and everyone in the film is radiant beyond what is witnessed in most recent films. The fantasy elements are accentuated by this seemingly magical cinematography.

The film's main themes are that of destiny, fate, and the inability to control it. Grecia is cursed - anyone who loves her will die at the hands of the tempestuous sea. Sebastian, Benjamin’s brother, and Marcelo create a love triangle with Grecia, but their ill-fated romances are not the overwhelming central point of the film. The romance between Grecia and Marcelo is favorable and sweeping, but falls under the weight of the tenebrous powers and mythological interventions of the sea. Her romance with Sebastian is also forbidden, tragic, and cut short. By the unforeseeable conclusion, the film will abandon many conventional viewers for unpredictability - and perhaps dissatisfaction. What could have been a commonplace romantic drama is heavily influenced by incredible fantasy facets, which will discourage some and electrify those with unbridled imaginations that match director Jose Bojorquez’s passionate artistry.

Flashbacks to Grecia’s parents embarking on a journey across the sea educate the audience on her origins, but they are subtle and hallucinatory. They throw us out of the storyline much in the same way the Day of the Dead celebration depicts ghosts of the deceased roaming about town. The suspension of disbelief is not strong enough to keep us following the fantasy elements, and toward the end, fantasy is also abandoned for a semi-religious, partially superstitious labyrinth of lore. But with melodic, uplifting music by Luis Bacalov, and a pervasive personification of the sea controlling destiny, even the disheartening inability of the main characters prevailing over fate doesn’t stop Sea of Dreams from being wholehearted entertainment, and a visually magical, epic romance.

- Mike Massie