Sleep

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.

Short review: Watching a film called 'Sleep' late at night seems like a challenging task. Luckily the film was so good that even watching characters drift off at that hour didn't make me too envious. I was really impressed with this film and what it managed to get out of the concept.

I loved that the film never felt safe. There was one scene involving a boiling pot. Now a lot of the time in most movies you wouldn't even consider the implication a possibility. Here though, it felt possible and I saw some hands go to mouths (mine included). This film is even made in such a crafty way that it is able to pull off and make exciting a PowerPoint presentation late in the film. Also the two lead actors turn in great performances that help elevate the film. This was a good one. 8.5/10.

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.

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.

This is the third Korean movie in a row i watch which i appreciated a lot. (COBWEB -2023- and TARGET -2023- the previous ones). And this is good news, i mean, i am a big fan of Korean cinema but i think it regressed a lot during the last years. If it's indeed on the rise, every moviegoer should be pleased.

SLEEP is somewhat mislabelled : This is not a comedy even though it seems at times that it doesn't take itself too seriously and there is -vaguely- a darkly comedic element. This is neither a typical horror movie. I would describe it as a psychological drama horror movie, intense and suspensful. It doesn't drag for a second, on the contrary, it grabs you by the throat from the start and it's a fun/intense ride all the way. A suspension of disbelief is fully required though, this is not the most convincing and realistic movie of the world, but it's a psychological drama horror movie, you shouldn't expect something like that either way.

Better acting performances than the average horror movie, and most important, you can't guess what is exactly happening. It could be this or that but you can't be sure, so i was very curious to see where it goes.

An entertaining and succesful movie of this genre.