A gorgeous short film that deserved more love, but got caught in the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce internet storm.
Hey guys! To those who’ve been eagerly waiting for my review on Lisa’s ‘Dream’ short film, I apologize. I’ve been slammed with my 9-to-5 work and feeling quite burnt out, so I took a day off. Basically… I’m a day late with my review! 😱
As I shared on August 12, Lisa surprised fans during Blackpink’s ongoing DEADLINE tour: a short film for her ballad ‘Dream’ from Alter Ego, set to release on August 13. Cute surprise, right? Unfortunately for Lisa, she she unknowingly scheduled it the exact same day Taylor Swift appeared on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast for the first time.
Talk about brutal timing. 😬 Because here’s the reality check: sure, Lisa’s a K-pop icon and Taylor’s a pop superstar — different genres, different fandoms. But Taylor Swift is the biggest pop star in the world right now. Her being on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s pocast? That’s the only thing that I’m seeing people talk about at this moment.
The result? A day later, ‘Dream’ is sitting at 6.7M views. Compare that to her other MVs:
- ‘Rockstar’ — 327M
- ‘New Woman‘ — 169M
- ‘Moonlit Floor’ — 86M
- ‘Born Again’ — 109M
- ‘FUTW‘ — 48M
- ‘When I’m With You’ — 22M
Compared to those? Yeah… kind of a disaster. But hey — maybe it just needs time to grow.
🎬 My Music Video Take
So the music video starts out with Lisa mourning her lover (Kentaro Sakaguchi). She is reminiscing the time she spent with him driving. Later they stop at a gas station where he hands her the car keys — a subtle “passing the wheel” moment before she’s suddenly alone in the driver’s seat.
From there, we get snippets of their happy times and a conversation about what they’d be if they were born again. She says she’d be a tree. He says he’d be a lake (or pond?) reflecting the tree. The happy time ends as she weeps and sprays his ashes in a lake.
The Good 😆
- As always, Lisa is flawless. From chic funeral black to breezy white outfits in the flashbacks, she nails every look.
- The biggest praise for this MV is the next-level cinematography. Beautiful, scenic, colorful and movie-quality framing — it’s exactly what she promised when she called this a “short film.”
- To those who like Lisa as a rapper… I think ‘Dream‘ shows a different side of her. She doesn’t quite carry it to Rosé level in terms of emotions and power. But her vocals are enough for the bittersweet and reminiscent vibe and carry the story just fine. ☺️
- I liked the storyline and the lines. Especially the “tree and lake” line paired with her crying acting? Goosebumps. Legit chills. 🥹.
The Bad 😕
- The thing that I question the most is “Why Kentaro Sakaguchi?” 🤔 He is no doubt one of the hottest actor in Japan right now. But the chemistry? It’s MIA. I believed them as two good actors in the same frame… not as lovers. 🤷🏻♀️
- The multilingual aspect of the music video. Ok, get this. The song’s in English. Then starting from 3:07, Lisa suddenly speaks in Korean and Kentaro answers in Japanese. Uhm.. was this intentional “appeal to all fans” move? Like her US fans get the English song , Korean fans get the Korean lines and she allows Kentaro to talk in Japanese? Sure, it’s inclusive. But it’s also awkward. Also, don’t couples usually stick to one shared language? It just felt forced and a little cringey. 🫣
👩🏻🍵 My Overall Take
Lisa short film ‘Dream’ was mesmerizing, beautiful and bittersweet. It’s clearly a labor of love because you can see the time, money and soul she poured into it. If you also take into account fan speculation that ‘Dream’ nods to her rumored past with former Korean rapper One, the song hits even sadder and more bittersweet.
But between questionable casting chemistry, awkward dialogue choices, and horrendous timing against Taylor Swift’s podcast appearance, it didn’t land the attention it deserved. Also, allads aren’t Lisa’s strong viral territory — and without a big hook or dance challenge, it’s hard to grab casual listeners.
Bottom line? Lisa’s ‘Dream’ short film is worth watching and appreciating… but in the battle for internet dominance, it just didn’t stand a chance.
What did you think of the short film? Which parts of my take do you agree with or disagree with? Share your thoughts below!
