Bertolucci's 2003 film The Dreamers takes an intimate look at the evolving complex relationship between an American student visiting Paris (Matthew) and the twins Théo and Isabelle. They all fancy themselves as film buffs. Living large in an apartment all to themselves (parents on vacation), they isolate themselves from the growing tumult on the streets in May, 1968. The subplot relates to the ouster of beloved Henri Langlois, founder of the Cinémathèque Française. Matthew tries to impress upon Théo the importance of the tumult outside their apartment. "There's something going on out there. Something that feels like it could be really important."
There is a brief moment in the film where Matt and Isabelle are walking on the street and notice a television in a storefront broadcasting the student riots. Ironically, they discover the reality of what is going on from the television, rather than through their apartment window. This is immediately reminiscent of the party scene in Delillo's Underworld, where multiple TV screens are playing the Zapruder film of Kennedy's assassination on continuous loop. Seeing it on TV makes it more real in a very postmodern fashion.
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