Sleep (2023)

Sleep (2023). 1h 35m

“Sleep has probably one of the best premises for a horror film that Iu0026#39;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: u0026quot;What are they doing in their sleep? Am I safe with this person next to me?u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s such a brilliant concept, that the movie almost writes itself. And thatu0026#39;s the thing…this movie needs better writing. Thereu0026#39;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 whatu0026#39;s going on. I wish an unseen and unheard character didnu0026#39;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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s a shame, because thereu0026#39;s so much about this movie that works. Itu0026#39;s very scary at times, generating enormous tension that you can cut through with a knife. And thereu0026#39;s a wonderful bait-n-switch where your perspective on whatu0026#39;s going on is tested and itu0026#39;s a juicy prospect. The film also has a wicked sense of humour and that always helps with otherwise very dark subject matter.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe performances are also quite excellent; Jung Yu Min in particular carries a lot of this movie on her shoulders and sheu0026#39;s absolutely EXCELLENT. I just felt like all the other characters werenu0026#39;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 couldu0026#39;ve used another 15-20 minutes to do that, and it wouldnu0026#39;t have made the movie worse.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHowever, I canu0026#39;t pretend like this isnu0026#39;t a good time. The film is creepy, effective, and again, just has that killer premise thatu0026#39;s inherently good. Is it perfect? No. Could it have been even better? I suspect so. But given this is Jason Yuu0026#39;s first film, itu0026#39;s not a bad debut at all.”