Doppio sogno

In Dream story, written at the beginning of the 1920s, Schnitzler examines the dynamics of desire and feeling in an upper-class married couple. A long account, which borders on the nightmarish and fantastical, tells of the extraordinary night experienced by Dr. Fridolin who, having left his house following an argument with his wife Albertine, finds himself involved in a disturbing sequence of events and sexual encounters. Carmelo Rifici has chosen this work for the basis of a study with a cast of young actors on the theme of intercouple relationships, the management of violence within a relationship, and the construction of the concept of identity through the constant “reflecting” of oneself in another. The director defines Dream story as “a therapeutic work, which goes beyond the psychoanalytical aspect that critics have always attributed it; Schnitzler has given us an extraordinary and brilliant female character in Albertine, the female element in the lead couple. It is thanks to her and her ability to manage her desires though her dreams that the relationship avoids exploding, allowing it to be conserved and to be saved from that indistinct violence that her husband Fridolin continuously tries to introduce to family life. Dream story has a cathartic value that can be of use to young people in identifying literary models that help them to understand their own personal anxieties”.