What is Fever Dream on Netflix about?

Next on Netflix’s horror movie release list for October is Fever Dream, an international film centered around two mothers and their relationships with their children in a time of impending crisis.

Fever Dream is based on the best-selling psychological fiction novel by Argentinian author Samanta Schweblin, who was a co-writer on the film. The book was originally released in 2014 in Spanish and was translated into English in 2017.

This suspenseful psychological-horror movie comes from Peruvian award-winning director Claudia Llosa, known for her Academy Award-nominated movie The Milk of Sorrow. Fever Dream will be her first film released on Netflix.

For English-speaking viewers, there are a couple of options on how to experience the film. You can choose to watch the movie in Spanish with English subtitles or an English dubbed version, though there’s something to be said about watching a film in its original form. Don’t be afraid of subtitles, people!

What is Fever Dream about?

Here’s the Netflix YouTube synopsis for Fever Dream:

"A woman named Amanda lies stricken, far from home. A young boy named David questions her, trying to make her remember. She’s not his mother, he’s not her son. As her time is running out, he helps her unravel a powerful, haunting story of obsessive jealousy, an invisible danger, and the power of a mother’s love for her child."

The movie seems to be a story within a story: Amanda, suffering in a clinic, struggles to remember how she got there… and the following story unfolds.

Amanda (Maria Valverde) decides to take her daughter Nina on a relaxing trip to a small town. She quickly becomes friends with their temporary neighbor, Carola (Dolores Fonzi), who has a son of her own… supposedly. After an incident in his childhood, Carola doesn’t recognize David as her son, nor Carola as his mother.

What’s happening to the children in this small town? Can environmental and spiritual catastrophe be avoided before it’s too late?

Fever Dream appears to be a haunting film that makes you question what’s real and what’s imaginary. The strength in a mother’s love is a universal concept that will no doubt emotionally touch watchers everywhere.

Fever Dream is rated R and is set to release on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 12:01 a.m. PT, which is 3:01 a.m. ET.

Watch the trailer for Fever Dream here:

Will you be watching Fever Dream on Netflix?