Dreams in Nightmares Celebrates Queer Friendship in a Fresh American Road Movie

Dreams in Nightmares is bringing Black queer friendship, chosen family and a beautifully different perspective to the American road movie. Written and directed by Shatara Michelle Ford, the acclaimed feature began its US theatrical release in New York on 21 August, with Los Angeles following on 28 August and a nationwide rollout beginning on 4 September.

The film follows Z, played by Denée Benton, an artist and adjunct professor who suddenly finds herself out of work. After struggling to reach her close friend Kel, played by Mars Storm Rucker, Z joins best friends Tasha and Lauren on the road to find her, creating a journey through America that becomes just as much about the four women and their relationships with each other.

Denée leads an ensemble that also includes Mars Storm Rucker, Dezi Bing, Sasha Compère, Charlie Barnett and Jasmin Savoy Brown. Together they bring to the screen a group of queer friends in their thirties whose lives encompass love, art, careers, uncertainty, humour and the kind of enduring friendships that can become family.

That celebration of chosen family gives Dreams in Nightmares much of its warmth. These are characters allowed to laugh, disagree, dream, make mistakes and support one another, with Ford giving queer friendship the kind of emotional importance traditionally reserved for romance or biological family on screen.

The road movie setting makes that story even more distinctive. Instead of keeping the characters within the familiar screen worlds of New York or Los Angeles, Dreams in Nightmares takes them through the Midwest and other parts of the United States, allowing location itself to become an important part of their journey.

Ford has spoken about wanting to rediscover the importance of place in filmmaking, particularly the way films of earlier decades allowed locations to shape their characters and stories. Dreams in Nightmares takes that idea and places Black queer characters directly into the expansive tradition of the American road movie, creating something that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.

The film has already built an impressive international story of its own. Following its world premiere at BlackStar Film Festival in 2024, Dreams in Nightmares travelled through more than 40 festivals and film organisations around the world during a two year journey, with its official team highlighting BlackStar, BFI Flare and NewFest among its early champions.

UK audiences have already been part of that journey. Dreams in Nightmares received its UK premiere at BFI Flare in London in March 2025 before later screening at SQIFF in Glasgow, giving British LGBTQ+ film audiences an early opportunity to experience Ford’s second feature.

The response heading into its wider theatrical release has been particularly encouraging. At the time of writing, Dreams in Nightmares holds a 100 per cent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes from 16 reviews, alongside a 6.8 out of 10 IMDb user rating.

Critics have praised Ford’s reinvention of the American road movie, with particular attention given to the film’s tenderness, humour, performances and portrayal of queer friendship. The positive reception adds to an international festival journey that has steadily introduced the film to new audiences before its commercial cinema release.

Perhaps the most appealing thing about Dreams in Nightmares is how much room it gives its characters simply to live. Their queerness is integral to who they are, but their friendships, ambitions, relationships, creativity and hopes for the future are given equal space within a film ultimately interested in belonging and finding the people who make somewhere feel like home.

After two years travelling around the world, Dreams in Nightmares is now beginning another chapter as it reaches wider cinema audiences. It is a joyful addition to contemporary LGBTQ+ filmmaking and a reminder that queer stories can occupy every corner of cinema, including the open road.

Dreams in Nightmares is now playing in selected US cinemas, with Los Angeles screenings beginning on 28 August and the nationwide rollout starting on 4 September.

No new UK theatrical or streaming release has currently been announced, so UK viewers can keep an eye on the official Dreams in Nightmares website and follow @dreamsinnightmares on Instagram for further screenings, release dates and availability updates.

Images: Dreams in Nightmares / Lunette Films / official social media