State Like Sleep

Wow, this is a true clunker. One of the most pretentious films I have seen and I have seen my share. One has to wonder what is going on with Michael Shannon. Does he literally take any paycheck? Tribeca was a sad affair this year, a shadow of its former self, and this was the worst offering there.

Because that's pretty much where it took me. Boring "plot", unlikable characters, lots of shadowy shots for no reason, and tons of pointless conversation. Unrealistic situation and dialogue.

Doesn't help that I'm sick of seeing older male actors paired with young actresses for gratuitous sex scenes. Love me some Michael Shannon, but this movie stunk for many reasons.

First off, the IMDB rating is too low. This film is better than the current 4.4 rating. I personally gave it a 6 because it is certainly not a bad film. It does not have a resolution that is satisfactory however and that is the worst part of it.

The film is actually visually appealing and the cast is talented and handles their roles well. Michael Shannon rarely goes wrong and he's good in this film if underutilized. Katharine Waterson is often very good, but I'm not sure she was the best fit for this film.

The plot is admittedly too complex in that it is searching for something the audience can hold onto but never does accomplish that, but the movie is NOT boring despite what some reviewers claim. Slow moving? Sure. But not boring.

Not nearly as bad as the reviews lead me to believe. I can only guess it was marketed to the wrong crowd. Yes, it was slow compared to Hollywood action films, but not when compared to European cinema. I enjoyed it enough to see again perhaps some time. Although the plot is peppered with flashbacks it's never confusing due to a certain detail that also applied to a bit of comic relief that apparently everyone but me missed. No spoilers...lol. I don't think it was a great film, so could only give it a 6.0, but the current rating on IMDB is 4.4 which is ridiculously low given the good qualities of this film overall. Be well rested when watching and ready to look and listen!

A really slow moving boring film. I was surprised that so many good actors agreed to appear in this, perhaps the script was better on paper than in production. Don't waste your time watching this unless you suffer from insomnia.