Schlaf

"Mona," the adult daughter of "Marlene" travels to the remote Sonnenhügel Hotel to find out why her mother trashed a hotel room before lapsing into a "stupor." Prior to traveling to the hotel, Marlene had remarked to Mona that she had experienced four dreams involving this same place. In each dream, a different man had killed himself. But in the fourth dream, there was a stronger man present, though he was becoming weaker with time. This place really exists, she tells Mona. Marlene then traveled to the hotel to confront her dream/nightmare, only to be undone by what occurred in her room there.

There are several layers to Mona's investigation: There is the obvious question (prompted by one of doctors) of what triggered Marlene's fugue state. (There may be something genetic at work, the doctor had reasoned. Mona demurred, as Mona is Marlene's only living relative.). When Mona reaches the hotel, proprietor "Otto" is willing to assist Mona in her desire to see the room at issue. His spouse, "Lore," is far less willing to aid Mona in her investigation. Mona also discovers from Otto that it is indeed the case that three men had killed themselves on the property, undone, he tells her, by the burdens of having an entire community depend upon their success and efforts. Not everyone can bear such a burden, he reasons.

Mona also asks Otto about a name "Trude" that appeared on one of her mother's many notebook-style drawings. Otto tells Mona he will look into this clue. Subsequently, Mona has lunch with Lore and Otto. Otto tells Mona that the name Trude "rang a bell" and that he remembered that it is a "lullaby." He retrieves an old tape recorder and plays for Mona the contents of the tune. The lullaby sends both Otto and Mona into fugue states that result in a clear danger to Mona and a sudden change in direction for the film. ("Trude," we learn, is not simply a lullaby and Otto is not simply a driven, but friendly, hotel proprietor.)

As the film closes in on the one-hour mark, we discover that at the heart of "Sleep" is the issue of historical memory. The hotel, like the town in which it is located, is in the process of rebuilding. And part of that rebuilding is directly addressing how the past is to be remembered. Otto has ambitions of a political nature. He is part of a far-right party that will have as its base the hotel. In a dinner speech to his fellow travelers ("the finest men of the valley," he calls them), he tells his male companions that "they" should not to be "ashamed . . . Of our origins, our traditions . . . Our history." It is time for a "new . . . Movement." He states that "naked envy drives these parasites to our borders" and that they must wear their "armor" when dealing with such miscreants.

This turn to politics may seem both sudden and strange in a movie that, at least for most of its running time, was singularly uninterested in such matters. But this is simply to bring to the surface the unexposed "point" of the film: that the ghosts (and delirium) of the past are alive and well in the house; only in "Sleep" it is the women, across generations, who have to confront and then pick up the pieces of this past: Marlene, who travels to a place (the hotel) that feels like a home she knows but never really knew; Mona, who retraces her mothers steps with the intention of helping her mother; Lore, who guards the hotel while Otto entertains the guests; Friza, the hotel aide who (rather cleverly) fights the "Nazis" (and with Lore's blessing!); and Trude, the erstwhile rescuer, who also appears to be the living descendent of those who were the victims of war crimes.

Other reviewers have likened the narrative style of "Sleep" to the work of David Lynch. Given the underlying concerns in the movie, I am not sure I agree with the analogy, though there are some surrealistic stylistic elements that lend some credence to it. I will agree, however, that "Sleep" is not a tidy movie. That said, "Sleep" also has ambitions that are far greater than the average celluloid ghost story. To that extent, "Sleep" is a far more "serious" offering than, say, the more recent "Cuckoo" (2024).

Wow, this was a different one. And yes, if you are into the films of David Lynch there is a good chance that you may like this one.

Some seriously offbeat stuff going on here, which is just rooted enough in reality to keep it running smoothly. If you like the vibe at all, definitely stay with it so that you ultimately gain some understanding of what the hell is going on.

The mood and atmosphere, along with the cinematography and especially the soundtrack, are right on target with this kind of film. Long moody takes, some abrupt non-sequitur transitions, oh yeah, this movie will most definitely keep you on your toes. Now, for those who aren't really into this kind of thing or into movies with this kind of deeply Surreal vibe, a la our dear Mr. Lynch, then you probably won't enjoy it that much. BUT... if you indeed are into more creative, somewhat more 'Artsy' Horror, but again, ultimately with a viable explanation of what has been going on, then oh yeah, this will be right up your alley...

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.

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.