Céline Roustan
Bereft after her husband’s death, Marianne sees the commercial for a new machine that offers the impossible: a chance to reunite with him. Consumed with grief, the dream machine seems to be the only thing that will help her, even if it means bending the metaphysical rules behind it. S/W alum Jimmy Marble (If You’re Ready) is back on our site with his latest project, The Dream Machine – an animated short film. Deeply personal, the film invites us into Marble’s distinct visual universe with a moving narrative, and a love story as powerful as Cathy and Heathcliff’s.
“I could never properly find a way to tell this visually rich story with both a camera and a small budget”
More than ten years in the making, the original idea for The Dream Machine first came to Marble back in April 2009, when he was living in Paris. The tenth short film he has made since moving to LA, he admits it’s “the one that I’ve been trying to make the entire time”. Originally conceived as a live-action film, Marble admits that he “could never properly find a way to tell this visually rich story with both a camera and a small budget”. Though now animated, the short still contains his unique visual flair – very colorful frames and a blend of sincere love and humour in the tone.
Based on his own experience with loss, working on the project became an integral part of Marble’s grieving process. The authenticity of his journey is also very much palpable in the emotional layer of the film and how it grasps the complexity of grief and brings it to the screen. At its core, The Dream Machine is a love story where the protagonist is willing to do anything to be with her partner again. Love and loss are present throughout the story, grounding its emotions and offering a striking contrast to its sci-fi premise.
“This story about grief and loss became my steady meditation on my own grief and loss” – Marble on the inspiration behind making The Dream Machine.
Animated by Frances Haszard and Louis Olsen, the film is primarily a digitally hand-drawn 2D film, featuring “a small blend of 3d animation”. From its opening frame, The Dream Machine has a visually captivating quality, totally immersing us in this world Marble has created. The animation is used so cleverly, making the titular device feel real while also conveying Marianne’s emotional journey. From the real moments to the dream ones, each frame is always carefully constructed carrying the audience along for the journey.
The film relies heavily on narration, and while I’m usually not a fan of this approach, here I found that it added a storybook layer to the film, amplifying Marianne’s emotions and her desire to use the machine. Editor Sean Leonard crafts the perfect pacing for the short, keeping the story moving forward while still giving us time to process Marianne’s journey. The result is a film that is simultaneously entertaining in its sci-fi layer and poignant in its emotional complexity.
Ahead of its online premiere as a Vimeo Staff Pick, The Dream Machine hit the festival circuit after its World Premiere at the 2025 edition of SXSW. Marble is currently working on a comedic sci-fi pilot, as well as writing a memoir on grief and love.