Dee-Dee, a Brooklyn barber covers his wall with magazine pin-ups of women. He wishes
that real women could look more like the images on "his wall of beauty." However, when
Dee-Dee is introduced to the art of photo-retouching, his perceptions of beauty are
called into question. Wet Dreams and False Images is a Sundance award-winning
documentary film, that uses humor to raise serious concerns about the marketplace of
commercial illusion and unrealizable standards of physical perfection.
"Epstein's quirky, quietly radical film shows consciousnesses being raised right on
camera, as Dee Dee learns that "my man had a lot of wet dreams, to a lot of false
images". A riveting examination of how retouching has enforced an utterly unrealizable
standard of female beauty, even at street level."
Kate Stables
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER
"Revealing, sensitive, and yes, funny, WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES is a wonderful
deconstruction of the construction of desire. I strongly recommend it as a teaching tool
for academic as well as community environments."
Stephen Duncombe, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies
New York University
"I would love to have this film shown in my daughter’s middle school and my son’s high
school.... What an eye opener!!!! not only for women but everyone, especially young
adults. We all need to see that these false images aren't reality and that we shouldn't
be striving for something that’s not real."
Laurie Riley, Boulder CO
"There's no intention to break this guy's love for these women, but just to show him how
these women actually become what they are. And so begins an absorbing twelve
minutes...Wet Dreams keeps it all honest...Its purpose is to educate on a matter like
this and that has been accomplished exceedingly well."
4+1/2 Stars
Rory L. Aronsky
FILM THREAT
"Body Typed is an excellent instructional and discussion resource for communication,
media, psychology, and gender curricula."
Margaret M. Reed, Riley-Hickingbotham Library, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia,
AR
Educational Media Reviews Online
"These films make the study of society and the media relevant to students by speaking to
their everyday experiences and inspires them to speak as well -- guaranteed to spark
lively classroom conversations."
Astra Taylor
Department of Sociology SUNY New Paltz
"I use WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES with both high school and university-age youth, and
find it a great tool for generating conversation about media manipulation, male gaze,
and unattainable ideals of female beauty Students are engaged by both the topic and the
humor."
Matt Bradley
Associate Professor
The University of Utah
Director, Youth Documentary Arts at Spy Hop Productions
"A candid look at a normal, seductive, and disturbingly unreal part of our visual
culture. Bold and revealed, this film is true to its daring title."
Leon Dunkley, Ph.D.
Duke University
Director, Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture
"I use WET DREAMS AND FALSE IMAGES in my Advocacy Video class...It's a fascinating study
of how powerful the medium can be."
Lydia Forester
Faculty, MA Program in Media Studies
New School University
"WET DREAMS keeps it all honest - Its purpose is to educate, and that has been
accomplished exceedingly well."
Rory L. Aronsky
Film Threat
"This is a film that pierces through the stock footage of our lives and provides
students with a better understanding of how the physical ideals they strive for are
manipulated."
Stuart Ewen
Distinguished Professor and Program Director
MFA Program in Integrated Media Arts Hunter College, CUNY
Jury Award, Short Subject - Sundance Film Festival
Grand Prize, Kodak Film Award – The Chicks with Flicks Film Festival
Top Video for Young Adults – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Award
Best Use of Technology – The Urban Literary Film Festival
Audience Award – The Chlotrudis Short Film Festival
Winner - Luna Fest
Pick* – 5th Anniversary Screening Series – Luna Fest
Best short films of the season – Rooftop Films
Audience Award and Judges Awards – Iron Mule Short Comedy Film Series
Official Selection - Silverdocs/AFI Discovery Channel Film Festival
Official Selection - The Seattle International Film Festival
New Orleans Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival
Asheville Film Festival
Ashland Independent Film Festival
SF Underground Film Festival
Chicago Underground Film Festival
NY Underground Film Festival
Official Selection - The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Women in the Director’s Chair
Silverdocs/AFI Discovery Channel Film Festival
NY Underground Film Festival
Silverlakes Film Festival
SXSW Premiere
Official Selection - TRUE/FALSE Documentary Film Festival
HBO Screening Room
MASS MoCA Museum
The Peabody Museum
Citizen Jane Women's Film Festival
Beurs van Berlage Museum in Amsterdam
