“Dreamscape,” directed by Diego Antonio Garcia 
San Diego Short Film Festival
Genre: Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Total Run-time 1:54

It seems unfair when even your subconscious works against you, as the protagonist in Diego Garcia’s short film “Dreamscape” can attest.

A writer (Cesar Sanchez) struggles with both words and wokeness – in the original, nonpolitical sense – before losing the battle for both. What follows over the next 60 seconds is a glimpse into his dreaming mind, which has fashioned a series of experiences for him based on the objects around him and his troubled state of mind. Mortal cowboy combat (with black-hatted Leonel Gonzalez), monster slashing (with a costumed Diego Ayala) and unrequited advances (with Citlali Gomez) ensue.

For those 60 seconds, Garcia manages to maintain a continuously kinetic pace. There is always some combination of the camera moving, the people and objects in frame moving, the rear projected images moving or the light shifting in a way that evokes movement where there isn’t any. Even with the writer’s body at rest, his mind stubbornly refuses to join it.

The soundscape is appropriately disjointed and trippy, effectively becoming the fourth character in the movie that acts as a guide through the titular dreamscape. The music divides the action into two sequences where there are three visually, linking the monster and love-interest sections into a single narrative that climaxes in a wake-up call of sorts.

The playful perspective shifts and transitions could be considered indulgent in another context, but work here to express the dreamy nature of what’s being shown. The result is an entertaining jaunt that would be worthy of a veteran of the film festival circuit, never mind a first-time filmmaker.