Dreamchild

The film opens with Alice Hargreaves and her carer Lucy disembarking to a swarm of journalists, all eager for a story about her past with Lewis Carroll. The relentless attention underscores how public interest eclipses private life. Jack Dolan, a former reporter, steps in to help them navigate the chaos, hinting at an uneasy alliance to come.

Dolan swiftly befriends Alice and Lucy, using his experience to shield them from the media gauntlet. He quickly settles into the role of their agent, seeking endorsement opportunities and public appearances. The budding professional relationship also foreshadows a deeper personal connection.

A romance develops between Jack and Lucy as they work closely, balancing professional duties with growing affection. Their closeness adds a subtle tension to Alice's situation, as the past and present blur together. The evolving relationship becomes a central thread of the narrative.

Back in their hotel room, Alice experiences a vivid, disorienting vision of Mr. Dodgson and familiar Wonderland inhabitants. The encounter blends memory with fantasy, illustrating her fragile grip on reality. The episode signals that the past will intrude on the present in unsettling ways.

During the hallucinatory tea party, Dodgson and the Wonderland creatures mock Alice for aging and forgetfulness. The surreal moment deepens her ambivalence toward the man who inspired her youth. The fantasy emphasizes how memory can distort rather than clarify relationships.

A flashback revisits the lazy boating party of July 4, 1862, where Dodgson entertained Alice and her sisters with a tale that would evolve into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The scene hints at Dodgson's charm and his fixation on Alice. It lays the groundwork for the complicated feelings that follow.

The memories portray Dodgson as a mathematics professor at Alice's father's college, suggesting an intimate, possibly inappropriate, emotional closeness. The insinuation of infatuation adds a darker undercurrent to their history. These elements complicate the beloved fairy-tale origin of her inspiration.

Alice recalls Dodgson's jealousy when she meets the man she would marry, revealing the tension between his unreciprocated feelings and her impending life with someone else. The memory exposes the fragility of their emotional bond. This moment foreshadows the long-lasting impact of Dodgson's presence in her life.

She acknowledges enjoying toying with his affections, deliberately baiting his nervous stutter to provoke a reaction. The admission exposes how she wielded emotional power within their relationship. The revelation adds a layer of complexity to their dynamic, beyond reverence or affection.

As Alice delivers her acceptance speech at Columbia University, she reaches a personal understanding of Dodgson and their shared past. The moment marks a shift in how she perceives their history and its influence on her life. It serves as a pivotal step toward reconciliation.

In a closing fantasy sequence with the Mock Turtle and Gryphon, Alice and Dodgson forgive each other and find peace. The whimsical ending frames forgiveness as the ultimate resolution to their fraught history. The scene suggests healing that transcends literal memory, offering emotional closure.