The American Dream Review

'The American Dream' is currently streaming on Aha. In this section, we are going to review the crime thriller.

Story:

Rahul (Prince) hails from a middle-class family and his single parent (played by Subhalekha Sudhakar) is almost broke. Rahul has low-key derision towards his father for not saving enough money. He chides him and migrates to the US to earn big. Once in the US, reality hits him hard. He is condemned to do odd jobs. He accidentally bumps into Dr. Riya Varma (Neha Krishna), who comes from a rich family and enters into a casual relationship with him. This sexual relationship becomes the focal point of the web film, followed by a fatal road accident that embroils Rahul in an unenviable situation. What is his destiny in the US?

Analysis:

This Aha original, shot in the US and India, has a run-time of less than 2 hours. For a drama and a thriller that has a twist in the tale, the running time is not overwhelming. Director Dr. Vighnesh Kaushik seems to have been influenced by the brief narration found in a number of foreign-language thrillers.

The narration is feeble when 'The American Dream' is about Rahul's dream. Once a shattering incident happens and threatens to change Rahul's life forever, the plot thickens. The graph of the thriller soars and consummates into a fine final act.

When Donald Trump's policy to discourage immigrants from bagging jobs scuttles Rahul's dreams, we think that his problems can't get worse. But then, they do. And how he navigates them is the crux of the story.

The portions involving Prince and his father are too cliched. There are no impressive points here. Even Rahul's tryst with Riya feels like the wet dream of a college-goer. But then, 'The American Dream' is not a feel-good rom-com or an escapist entertainer. It's a thriller. A lot of the scenes that unfold after the first half an hour feel well-written in retrospect. So, one tends to overlook the obvious ideas and contrived story-telling preceding the arrival of the main plot.

Prince Cecil, who is known for doing films like 'Bus Stop', 'Nenu Sailaja', and 'Power Play', is understated. Neha Krishna is good, while the rest of the cast fit the bill. Abhinay TJ's music is so-so. The cinematography is average.

Verdict:

'The American Dream' makes for a reasonably thrilling watch.