The Postman Dreams 2
Prada unveils the second iteration of ‘The Postman Dreams’, a series of short films written and directed by acclaimed American filmmaker Autumn de Wilde and a sequel to Prada’s first project with de Wilde which debuted in 2015.
Here, de Wilde devises her own imaginary vistas and mise en scène, inspired not just by her own obsessions but those of others. Desire, pleasure, eventual satisfaction - these are the underlying themes of these non-sequential, fabulist chapters - divided into four main stories.
The central protagonist - our heroine - is the Prada Galleria bag, a key plot-point in each film. It is a shared focus and object of desire: the thread connecting each of the instalments, alongside our hero, Hollywood star Elijah Wood as the enigmatic ‘Postman’.
Humorous and whimsical, with a touch of daydream and moments of pure surreal wit, each film presents itself as a self-contained fragment. These films are a fantasy, to be indulged. A gift to be enjoyed.
The Bogey
Serving as our reintroduction to The Postman Dreams, and introducing Elijah Wood as The Postman, the debut instalment, ‘The Bogey’, immediately plunges the viewer into filmmaker Autumn de Wilde’s visually arresting universe.
Here, the actress Emma Roberts is the heroine - she plays herself. Hence the title - ‘The Bogey’ - Hollywood vernacular for an individual breaching the set, and walking through a shot while the camera is rolling.
The Postman here becomes the unwitting ‘Bogey’, an interruption to an epic in the making, delivering a gift - Prada’s Galleria Bag - to its delighted star player...
The Troublemaker
In the second episode of ‘The Postman Dreams 2’, our hero - Elijah Wood’s Postman - is in hot pursuit of Sasha Frolova, the mischievous beneficiary of another gift who refuses to accept her present without a good chase.
Drawing on the screwball comedies of the 1930s, auteur Autumn de Wilde’s short film depicts an absurdist cat-and-mouse game as the eponymous Postman tries to fulfil his duty and deliver his precious cargo - the Prada Galleria bag - to its rightful recipient.
The Punch
A classic Hollywood scene: a woman wronged, exacting her revenge - in this case, Amber Valletta, the heroine of the third installation of THE POSTMAN DREAMS 2. Like our eponymous hero, Elijah Wood’s Postman, we viewers are turned to voyeurs, overhearing and overseeing Valletta in a lover’s argument, where she is the undeniable victor via a sucker punch that floors her philandering male co-star. Hence this episodic short’s concise but evocative title.
But Valletta is also the third recipient of the Postman’s precious gift - the Prada Galleria bag. Emotions here are heightened - from jealousy, to rage, to eventual euphoria.
The Elevator
The final installation of Autumn de Wilde’s witty series of cinematic shorts celebrating the joy and art of gift-giving, THE POSTMAN DREAMS 2 concludes with Elijah Wood delivering his final package to Natalia Dyer in the unexpected enclaves of an elevator - a space that becomes a crossing-point of different stories and lives captured in the midst of the chaotic but uplifting party season.
The gift is, of course, the Prada Galleria bag - the connecting thread, a constant presence. Given to, worn and loved by an array of leading women throughout these episodic films, as a collected work the films of THE POSTMAN DREAMS 2 are testament to the endless reinterpretation, myriad identities and boundless versatility of this timeless Prada icon. It is as unique and multifaceted as the women who adore it. A gift for all seasons.
