Wealthy Benefactor's Affair with Undocumented Dancer Turns Toxic in New Film "Dreams"

Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco's latest psychological drama explores the complex power dynamics between a San Francisco philanthropist and her undocumented immigrant lover.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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In the new film "Dreams" from Mexican director Michel Franco, a wealthy San Francisco philanthropist named Jennifer McCarthy begins a torrid affair with an undocumented Mexican immigrant named Fernando, who aspires to be a professional dancer. As Fernando enters the U.S. illegally to be with Jennifer, their relationship becomes increasingly complicated and toxic, with Jennifer wielding her power and privilege over the struggling Fernando.

Why it matters

"Dreams" provides a cynical, unsentimental look at the dynamics between wealthy arts patrons and the artists they support, particularly when issues of immigration, race, and class come into play. The film explores how liberal "do-gooders" like Jennifer can still harbor prejudices and exploit those with less power, even as they claim to champion the arts.

The details

In the film, Fernando, a talented dancer from Mexico City, makes his way to San Francisco to be with his wealthy benefactor Jennifer, with whom he has been having a secret affair. Jennifer funds the dance academy in Mexico where Fernando studied, and their relationship began during one of her trips there. Now in the U.S. illegally, Fernando tries to balance his need for Jennifer's support with his own artistic ambitions, as the power dynamics between the two become increasingly fraught.

  • The film first screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2026, less than a month into the second Trump presidency.
  • The story is set in the present day.

The players

Fernando

A young, undocumented Mexican immigrant who aspires to be a professional dancer.

Jennifer McCarthy

A wealthy San Francisco philanthropist who funds the dance academy in Mexico where Fernando studied, and with whom he has a torrid affair.

Rupert Friend

Jennifer's smarmy brother, who makes crass comments about Mexicans.

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What they’re saying

“After a season of high-minded movies about the redemptive power of art, there's something bracing about Franco's ruthlessly unsentimental view of the ecosystem in which artists and their benefactors operate.”

— Justin Chang, Critic (NPR)

The takeaway

"Dreams" offers a bleak, uncompromising portrait of the power dynamics and exploitation that can exist between wealthy arts patrons and the undocumented immigrants they claim to support, challenging the notion of the "redemptive power of art" and exposing the racism and hypocrisy that can lurk beneath the surface of liberal philanthropy.