Sleep

“Made to keep you up at night”, reads Sunday Independent’s pull quote on the cover of Sleep, available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Curzon. This sort of quote is applied to lots of horror films – the universal fear of what monsters may be lurking in the dark, and each bump, creak, and crack in the night keeping you awake. But Sleep creates a different kind of fear – this film makes the prospect of sleeping scary, committing to one’s most vulnerable state and trusting our body to behave…

Sleep follows Hyun-su (the late Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), young newlyweds awaiting the birth of their first child. When Hyun-su begins to experience parasomniac episodes in his sleep, Soo-jin becomes increasingly paranoid that her husband is possessed by a malicious spirit bent on tearing their family apart. 

Director Jason Yu, assistant director for Academy Award-winning Bong Joon-ho on Okja, makes his feature directorial debut here and it is a magnificent piece of work. This is a smart, confident film that bends genre and tone against expectations throughout – the film is as much a study on marriage and relationships as it is a domestic thriller, with hints of supernatural horror and even sprinklings of dark comedy. Balancing all of this is a challenge for any filmmaker, so for Yu to begin his filmmaking career with something that manages it so adeptly certainly makes him one to watch in the future.

Sleep is a quietly compelling and unsettling film that portrays the frightening mysteries of slumber like no film ever has before. As someone who has battled several sleep disorders in my life, I found the film particularly rewarding – it’s nice to see such a thorough portrayal of these conditions on screen, with both parties’ (the sufferer, and their partner) experiences explored. The two lead performances are magnificent, with impeccable chemistry. Hyun-su’s guilt, and fear of his own sleep, alongside Soo-jin’s sleep-deprived paranoia and care for her husband, are flawlessly portrayed. 

This is one of the best films of the year, and will linger long in the mind as the credits roll. It is a dark, disturbing film that indeed will keep you up at night, but not because of fear of monsters. No, Sleep will keep you awake out of fear of yourself. Goodnight.

Sleep is available now on Digital, DVD, and Blu-ray from Curzon