Schlaf

This German film about nightmares hardly kept me awake despite the fact that it is pretty well made, with a great care about aesthetics. But the plot rapidly eliminated the interest which I had at the beginning, I don't know why, maybe a feeling of déjà vu, though not for a German film. That's precisely the point, because we must seek the originality in this culturesque angle. I think that it also could be a Spanish film, with such a topic. Only children miss.... I won't spoil the film, but I think we can analyse the genesis of this story in history. German history, eighty years ago. I guess you see what I mean.... But that's only my opinion. To summarize, it's worth watching for those for whom this kind of film is made for. Unfortunately not me, but I tried....

Right away, some people are going to be turned off because this film forces you to pay attention and think.

This is not a mindless romp through nightmares or haunted hotels.

There are very intricate plot points and a few twists that you need to pay attention to, otherwise once things ramp up in the third act, you'll be lost.

There is a surrealism to this viewing experience but I would not go as far as to put this into a category with David Lynch as some other reviewers have. This film doesn't have the intelligence or transgressive undertones of Lynch's work.

That doesn't mean it isn't intelligent or that the film is subpar in any way. In fact, this film is very well made both from a storytelling standpoint as well as a technical standpoint.

The use of camera angles, color, lighting, etc all serve to draw you into the scene with comfort that shifts into unease effortlessly.

The characters are somewhat likable but seem rather emotionally disconnected throughout the film and I found myself wondering if that was intentional in an effort to throw the audience off and not allow them to get too comfortable in any one situation with any one character.

The payoff at the end was on point and brings about a satisfying conclusion.

My one complaint would have to be the after credits scene.

It feels tacked on and pointless and it is shot in a way that looks like it's from an entirely different film. It just doesn't belong here and it should have been left out.

Highly recommend.

After her mother's breakdown, a young woman fearing that she'll follow the same self-destructive path learns about her mother's obsession with a strange town that eventually starts her own obsession with the location, forcing her to confront dark secrets from the past to get away alive.

Overall, this was a solid if problematic genre effort. What works quite well for this one is the highly intriguing mystery and psychological torment that's at play within here. The fact that the film centers around the deciphering of dreams hiding untapped misery and torment, with the mother's insistence on locating the fabled hotel she's noticed in the real world being the same as the one she's dreamed of, becomes all the more involved once the daughter realizes that has begun affecting her as well. The trip to uncover the truth and the encounters with the locals are unnerving enough to be quite creepy with the clues seeming to point to something unexpected and otherworldly happening but not making sense. This helps to fuel the film throughout the first half as the mysterious build-up tends to pay off quite nicely. Those payoffs come together quite well in the form of the nightmare sequences that may or may not be real. Despite ample evidence that the real world is scary enough with the initial clues to her mother's mental state from the creepy journals and the strange disarray found in her hotel room when she arrives there, the fact that the striking visual in the dream-state where all sorts of bizarre figures and entities are shown that border on surrealism at times with the curiously just-off-normal route many of them feature. Since these provide enough context throughout the middle and final acts of the mystery being presented here, they end up delivering nicely at the end by featuring enough to really like about it. However, there are some issues with the film that holds this one back somewhat. This is mostly focused on the fact that there's so much allegory and subtle commentary present that it's almost overpowering the scares at times. The multilayered story about the sins of the past involving the true history of the country being resurrected and the connection between their family history tends to dominate the majority of the tension featured here. That can make for a highly underwhelming experience for those wanting a more horror-oriented path here since so little of the running time is focused on outright genre thrills in favor of this unraveling mystery. As well, with this being quite complex to get to some of the plot-points are dropped out and left unresolved to the point of frustration and confusion which all bring this down slightly.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Full Nudity and Violence.

The film I loved watching it but it was not exactly clear what it was that was really happening. The mother is really not in a very good place she has been in the psychiatric ward of a hospital and her daughter worried and trying to find out what is going on. She moves into what seems to be a hotel and everything gets worse. The hotel apparently has something wrong and reminds us of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. The boar hunting, the odd deaths and the mass suicide and the gassing and a large group of former nazis that worries us their sleep and the uncanny something we do not understand. I think I will have to have another look at this, after a while.

Originally, I had this movie planned to see during the Berlinale 2020, part of the section Perspektive Deutsches Kino (Perspectives of German Films/Filmmaking). For some reason I missed it there. Got a second chance during the Imagine film festival 2021, normally in Amsterdam but now 100% online. The movie starts very well, despite the inherent somber subject. It proves to be very well possible to maintain tension for the full running time without using any of the genre cliches, like jump scares, squeaking doors/stairs, eerie music, and more along those down throdden paths.

Near 1H running time, I lost track of the logic in what I saw people doing, and what purpose I could imagine behind their actions (if any). Assuming to be enlightened about past events that would take care of connecting the dots, I was anticipating clarity in the end. I persisted watching this movie and ignored some logic flaws.

At 1H25 running time I was clawing for some straws to clear up the mist between past and present, as the mixture of both seem prepared to explain everything. It was not self-explanatory for me, however. I persisted again, waiting for the finale that might offer the solution to all these riddles. Despite my failure to understand the deeper purpose of the proceedings, it was not boring. Something happened all the time, continuously bringing some new clues, but none were conclusive.

The final 10 minutes did not bring the explanations I expected. Something important hit me here, namely, how to find out whether you are dreaming or awake. This dilemma was presented in a very early scene but not making sufficient impression then to realize its importance. Many scenes run along parallel lines and switch between past and present, leaving me guessing for their significance in the story. In this respect, the movie did not fullfill all promises, at least not for all issues calling for a solution.

All in all, the plot is ambitious and intriguing, but it faltered near the end and failed on its closure. I think I missed some important clues underway. I think this would not have happened during a more focused session in a film theater, with less distractions than a virtual screening at home. Neverheless, it certainly is a good watch due to including social commentary and references to German history, though some are bound to partly missing the point when directed to us outsiders, not living in Germany.