Underplayed Gems

What We Dreamed of Then (2025)

What We Dreamed of Then poster
Directed by
Taylor Olson
Country
Canada
Rated
PG
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A swim coach in Canada hides the fact that he is living in his van. The film follows his daily struggle to keep his secret while maintaining his job and relationships.

low-keyrestrainedgroundedintrospectiveunderstatedquietly tensesympathetic

What happens

What We Dreamed of Then is a 2025 Canadian drama film written and directed by Taylor Olson. The film stars Olson as Gideon, a swim coach experiencing "unseen homelessness" and living in a van, while keeping his homelessness a secret. The cast also includes Christie Burke, Parveen Kaur, Hugh Thompson, Eugene Sampang, Martha Irving, Koumbie, Breton Lalama and Katelyn McCulloch. The film's budget of CA$1.3 million is funded by the governments of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, along with Screen Nova Scotia and Telefilm Canada. The film went into production in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 2024, with the working title Unseen. Described as the "largest English-spoken film to be shot in New Brunswick in more than a decade," filming in Saint John took place in May 2024. The film premiered at the 2025 Atlantic International Film Festival, and was also screened in the Features Canada program at the 2025 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival. The film won the award for Best Dramatic Feature at the 2026 Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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