Chameleon Shadow
Cameron, portrayed by Sam Mills, is a regular guy just trying to get relief from his recurring nightmares he’s had since childhood. He eventually seeks help from the most unlikely source, and gets a little more than he bargained for. Sam Mills brings another Utah-made original film for all audiences, filled suspense and mysterious shadows. He takes us on a journey through the life of Cameron, giving us a fresh view on nightmares and what they mean to us.
This mockumentary will take you on an out-of-body experience. Each scene is surreal, making it feel more real as Cameron’s story unfolds. He is alone yet never alone. He is an adult yet stuck in the past of his youth because he keeps reliving the same nightmares and dreams over and over again. His dream state blends with reality. He is awake yet always dreaming. He tries multiple things to obtain the relief his soul is searching for, but soon realizes that everything he’s doing is just giving him the same results. He meets with different therapists, and talks about his problems with various friends. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.
Luckily (or unluckily!) for Cameron, one of his friends is studying to become a therapist, but she likes to experiment with alternative methods when it comes to dealing with nightmares and pitches the idea of meeting the mysterious “Chameleon” who may be the oasis in Cameron’s desert. He readily accepts the idea, a decision that alters the fate of his reality. He experiments with something new and gets a new result. It’s up to him to decide if he likes the new results he is getting.
Under the guidance of his therapist friend, Cameron ends up finding himself navigating through the mazes of physical life and alternative medicine. It could mean the end of his recurring nightmares or bring him closer to the brink of psychosis. The Chameleon knows everything about everyone. He is mystical and all-knowing. He knows so much about Cameron, it’s both comforting and disturbing. The Chameleon has the ability to take away nightmares, but at a cost that Cameron can’t discuss and realizes slowly over time.
The ensemble cast come together nicely to create a dreamlike world, both grounded in reality and lucidity.
The unique script comes alive with interesting scenes and ethereal sounds. The nightmares seem to come alive before our eyes—the music and cinematography draw the audience in, wanting to know more. You want to look away, but you have to keep watching to know what’s going to happen to Cameron. You want to know if his nightmares will ever go away or if he will be stuck living with them forever.
Sam Mills was able to create a visually and audibly poetic film, knitting together an experimental film filled with interesting music, writing, and sound to give us a new way to look at how dreams are interpreted in the medium.
