Neo-formalist Study of the Representation of Dream Images in the Film "Maybe Some Other Time" (1988)

The present study examines the aesthetic representation of dream images in Maybe Some Other Time (1988) directed by Bahram Beyzai. The researchers aim to find the reason for the use of the form that is used in portraying the dreams within the film. Therefore, the study, with a neo-formalist approach, examines the way dream images are formed and their characteristics in the human mind. In this way, it pays close attention to the study of the dream-making process from the perspective of Sigmund Freud and the four important characteristics of dreams (absence of logic, disrupted narrative, double presence, and scattered images). Then, in the next section, by reviewing dreams in cinema from the early years of the invention of cinema to the present day and studying the innovative formal features used in world cinema to represent dream images, it looks at the techniques of cinematography and editing that can be used to approach the mentioned characteristics of dreams by using them in representing dream images. Thus, the reasons for the use of cinematic tools used in the construction of a cinematic form similar to a dream become clear. In the end, the researchers also analyze the dream sequences of the film Maybe Some Other Time (1988) based on the characteristics of dreams in psychology and the used tools, techniques, methods, and elements in the outstanding experiences of world cinema. By examining and matching the information obtained, the researchers find that the dream images in the present case study have used filming and editing tools to bring the images closer to personal experiences. All four important characteristics of dreams and activities such as condensation, displacement, and considerations (The primary dream-forming process) and the secondary dream-making process are evident in the dream sequences of this film. In addition, the influence of the successful experiences of world cinema, which have tried to imitate the personal experience in the film, can be clearly seen in this film. The use of aesthetic elements in creating the dream sequences of Maybe Some Other Time (1988) highlights Bahram Beyzai's formal concern for the synchronization of form and content.