Dream Team

It’s 1997 and two Interpol agents, No and Chase (Esther Garrel and Alex Zhang Hungtai from the band Dirty Beaches), are assigned to investigate the mysterious death of a coral smuggler in Mexico. As their investigation takes them into weirder and more tropical realms, they become caught up in a probable international conspiracy involving an inappropriately sexy coral scientist, two wellness-loving interns, lectures on neuropsychology and platonic absolutes, a psychic network of coral reefs, wine-tasting that doubles as a team-building exercise for a utopian basketball team, and a bewildering invisible colleague. Meanwhile the agents’ platonic relationship, always professional, always tender, burns almost to the point of bright molten lava.

Collaborating again with versatile synth musicians John Atkinson and Excepter, cult IFFR favourites Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn (L For Leisure, 2014; Blondes in the Jungle, 2010) are back with their most ambitious and glorious work yet. Comprising seven episodes, each with its own credit sequence, the film features 16mm photography capturing the luminous sea life, sun-dappled beaches and gyrating hotties that populate this dreamy murder mystery comedy, like an episode of Baywatch Nights were it directed by Maya Deren.

– Michelle Carey