Sleep: El mal no duerme

Sleep has probably one of the best premises for a horror film that I've ever seen. The idea of the person sharing your bed doing strange and sometimes terrifying things in their sleep is almost a *primal* fear, something inherent to every and anyone who shares a bed with their partner: "What are they doing in their sleep? Am I safe with this person next to me?"

It's such a brilliant concept, that the movie almost writes itself. And that's the thing...this movie needs better writing. There's something missing from the narrative, undoubtedly there to keep the mystery and ambiguity the entire way through, but it feels like the script needed a bit more complexity. I wished the characters and their relationship was fleshed out, that we learned more about them and their dynamics, to help really generate discussion as to what's going on. I wish an unseen and unheard character didn't have such an impact on the narrative; someone who is only mentioned a couple of times and very briefly. The film also jumps forward in time at several points for no apparent reason...it raises more questions than answers and I get the sense that no one knew how to address some of these plot holes.

It's a shame, because there's so much about this movie that works. It's very scary at times, generating enormous tension that you can cut through with a knife. And there's a wonderful bait-n-switch where your perspective on what's going on is tested and it's a juicy prospect. The film also has a wicked sense of humour and that always helps with otherwise very dark subject matter.

The performances are also quite excellent; Jung Yu Min in particular carries a lot of this movie on her shoulders and she's absolutely EXCELLENT. I just felt like all the other characters weren't fleshed out enough for me to really connect with them. Korean horror is renowned for its character work, slow pace, and shocking twists. I wish this movie took its time more and did a bit more world building. At a scant 95 minutes, it certainly could've used another 15-20 minutes to do that, and it wouldn't have made the movie worse.

However, I can't pretend like this isn't a good time. The film is creepy, effective, and again, just has that killer premise that's inherently good. Is it perfect? No. Could it have been even better? I suspect so. But given this is Jason Yu's first film, it's not a bad debut at all.

Sleep come with some pretty good credentials and i was looking forward to checking it out. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations as i found it lacking in story development and unable to create the desired levels of tension one could reasonably expect from a film of this type. The performances were fine but there were quite a few gaps in the story with too little character development taking place. Also, there were too many examples of the characters playing either very passively or unwittingly to the point of losing credibility. The end of the film was not able to create anywhere near the drama I could tell everyone was going for and it felt a it forced. Sleep isn't all but still a bit disappointing.

A fine debut thriller from Jason Yu. It was shown in Cannes and was pretty well received by critics. Now, after finally seeing it, I'll be joining those who recommend it.

This is a playful exercise in subverting genre expectations. The premise uses horror tropes in interesting ways, without succumbing to overwrought melodrama or clichés. A lot can be said about its expert direction; Yu finely balances humor and horror, and the script mischievously makes you question whether what you're seeing is paranormal or psychological in nature. He is enormously helped by Lee Sun-kyun (a formidable actor at this point) and the always lovely Jang Yu-mi. Their couple has loads of chemistry that is utilized to great effect.

Also, the short-ish runtime of 94 minutes ensures no minute is wasted and no plot point unnecessarily protracted. A hearty recommendation if you like your thrillers twisted and adventurous.

There is no jump scare, but how 'Sleep' manipulates my fear, uncertainty, and anxiety is something else. It's a kind of horror that I can watch without getting too scared, but I cannot go to sleep, thinking about the whole movie over and over in my head. The situation in the movie might seem extreme, but sleep disorder, noise between floors, and postpartum depression are very much realistic social problems and very much modern problems as well. They are almost tangible, and you hear about them everyday. Three things combined in the movie, the ending is not that extreme anymore, and it's scarier because it can happen to me, too.

How the director uses lighting and composition makes the movie more intense. Before the wife is affected by husband's abnormal behavior during REM sleep, lighting is shed in front of her face. However, once she starts to lose control of her reasons and mental health, the lighting moves to the back of her head, increasing the eerie atmosphere and highlighting the sudden change.

Giving this an 7/10 rating

Not much blood in this one, more of a slow build up and use of the environment, the two main characters, which are husband and wife in a new place, and then, stuff stars to happen, that really does effect them both

A good simple premise is done good, thanks, down to great acting and very good dialogue, effective soul design, and good writing and directing for Jason Yu.

The trio of Kim Gook Hee, Yoon Kyung-ho and Lee Sun-kyun, pull off good work, and have to make work of the limited setting of home, and the other settings. The limitations are the driving force and are used with much thought. And this film proves that ou can do a horror, with out loads of blood and make it interesting. Sleep can be dangerous, and this film shows us the effects of it.