Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud took a challenge when he decided to make three movies on the same topic, but with different perspectives. That is how he describes his Sex, Dreams, Love trilogy. All three of them have achieved critically acclaimed status for how they diverge into the complicated nature of human relationships and connection.
Each one of them focuses on conversations rather than the act, exploring the human psyche in ways like no other. Deeply believable, relevant, and grounded in everyday life, the celebrated director revealed that the inspiration to write and direct the films came at the behest of a student journalist.
Dag Johan Haugerud explains why he made Sex
Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud’s Sex (2024), the first film in his Sex Dreams Love trilogy, premiered at Berlinale’s Panorama section, winning the Europa Cinemas Label and the CICAE Art Cinema Award.
Starring Jan Gunnar Røise and Thorbjørn Harr as chimney sweeps questioning their s*xuality, the film was sparked by a student journalist’s question about s*xuality during a Q&A. The question inspired the filmmaker to craft a dialogue-driven drama challenging heteronormativity, with one man exploring a same-s*x encounter and another dreaming of David Bowie seeing him as a woman, as Haugerud revealed in an interview with The Upcoming.
There was a student journalist who asked me one time why there wasn’t any s*xuality in my movies. And I thought it was but he apparently didn’t. So I thought I should write and make films about s*xuality but without maybe showing so much graphical s*x but just discuss what s*xuality is to different people because I think that’s quite individual. It became more and more interesting the more I thought about it.
Well, a simple question made Haugerud go on a quest to explore societal norms around s*xuality and gender. Taking inspiration from Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours trilogy, he aimed to normalize sex, hoping to entertain and spark meaningful dialogue among viewers (via Variety).
Well, the student’s query helped fuel the broader theme of the trilogy, each tackling related issues while driving meaningful conversation about the topic, helping audiences become more sincere, truthful, and shameless.
Dag Johan Haugerud didn’t think making Sex, Dreams, and Love was hard
Each installment of the romantic comedy trilogy by Dag Johan Haugerud has been well received. Sex premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and had screenings at other similar prestigious film fests around the world, winning three accolades at the BIFF apart from widespread critical acclaim.
The second film, Dreams, enjoyed a similar reception, winning the Golden Bear at the BIFF, apart from two other accolades. Even the third film earned strong critical praise, drawing in viewers with its simple tackling of an otherwise complex subject. Well, one would think that Haugerud would have had a hard time making three films about the same subject, with each being dialogue-heavy.
But in an interview with Variety, the filmmaker revealed it wasn’t as hard as one would think, however, there was another challenge that made the experience hard.
It’s very, very good that it’s over. It has been a long run. Making these three movies wasn’t that hard – releasing them so quickly was.
Well, Dag Johan Haugerud’s ambitious Sex, Dreams, Love trilogy not only challenges conventional narratives surrounding s*xuality but also fosters deep conversations that resonate with audiences. Haugerud’s unconventional and dialogue-driven approach demonstrates that the essence of intimacy goes beyond physicality and graphic depiction on screen, inviting viewers to reflect on their own understandings of love and identity.
Despite the challenges of releasing three films one after the other, Haugerud’s trilogy serves as a poignant reminder of the power of dialogue in navigating the intricacies of human connection.
Sex, Dreams, Love trilogy is available to stream on Viaplay.
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