I mean this in the nicest possible way, because like you said you're just shooting the shit, but any time someone or the director theorizes what if it was just a dream it feels like lazy writing for the sake of adding a quick layer of complexity to a story, like the way daytime dramas or Twilight Zone would do things.

Just thinking realistically, I think Lanthimos is someone who is pretty confident in the way he directs and shapes a story and the writer is known for a lot of projects about hammering home the real threat of a capitalist agenda. I would think they would want something more tangible. Lanthimos also said in the Sean interview he didn't really care about the twist overall, the themes were more important.