Dr. Sander's Sleep Cure

I have to say I'm currently feeling very positive about this film, after having seen this at the domestic premiere. I entered with mixed feelings, but the bizarre episodic story drew me in quite fast.

Having had my own share of nightmares and sleeplessness, the makers of the film capture the essence of this condition well. The feverish dreams that seem to last forever but in reality only take seconds, or then seem to last for a second but in fact go on for ever....

There's a lot of picturesque scenery and the color scheme is interesting, changing from nightmare to nightmare. Also, some very pretty ladies in the cast.

The cover for this 2024 movie from writer and director Mart Sander instantly caught my attention. And thus I opted to give the movie a view, since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen. Nor had I actually ever heard about the movie, not that it mattered as I believe in giving any movie I haven't seen a fair chance.

When I realized that the movie was written by Mart Sander, directed by Mart Sander and also starring Mart Sander, I have to admit that my expectations dropped down significantly. Movies that have one guy performing all those parts of a movie tend to be questionable affairs more often than not.

The storyline in the movie, however, proved to be a massive swing and a miss. The narrative was all over the place, but being nowhere all at once. And it was quite a struggle to sit through 102 minutes of this narrative.

I was under the impression that "Dr. Sander's Sleep Cure" was a horror fantasy movie, though the actual movie is way more of a fantasy movie than it is a horror movie. So don't get your hopes up for a horror experience, which I had done.

Needless to say that I was not familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, which was actually something that spoke in favor of the movie, as I enjoy watching new and unfamiliar talents on the screen. The acting performances in "Dr. Sander's Sleep Cure" were fair.

I actually think this was my first foray into the Estonian cinema.

"Dr. Sander's Sleep Cure" failed to entertain me, and this is definitely not a movie that I would recommend you to rush out and get to watch. Nor is it a movie that will ever grace my screen a second time.

My rating of writer and director Mart Sander's 2024 movie "Dr. Sander's Sleep Cure" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

I saw this fun little film at my local horror movie festival. That being said, there isn't terribly much horror to it (in the modern sense) except in a few parts. However it does show its horror anthology genetics and you do feel a sort of building anxiety through the frame narrative.

The collections of stories are great and deeply atmospheric. A nice mix of practical effects with a lot of CGI-- but it adds to the charm and feel of this being a one man show. That being said, Sander himself is not always the star and does a great job in the spot light as well as in the supporting cast. In fact, the whole crew did a great job.

It's a wonderfully odd mashup of tales-- it's like O Henry and the Twilight Zone mixed with just a bit of Hammer Horror across a multitude of periods. And with set dressing/production reminiscent alternately between Sky Captain/Sin City (at its most immersive and decadent), to 90s BBC, to minimalist single set indie film, to even something hinting at German Expressionism. And all with the through line of a dark sense of humor.

Some of the stories play out with predictable results, but then the Twilight Zone formula has spoiled us all on the "twist" ending. And I can't stress enough the charm of each piece, so even though you can kind of foresee the ending, you'll enjoy the ride.

All in all, a very fun watch and worth your time.

Dr. Sander's Sleep Cure is one of the most original and visually captivating films I've seen in a while. It plays like a dream-sometimes comforting, sometimes bizarre, and always unpredictable. Mart Sander's performance is absolutely remarkable; playing 48 different characters isn't just a gimmick, it's an artistic achievement that keeps the film dynamic and engaging from start to finish.

The style feels like a blend of surreal comedy, experimental horror, and psychological drama. It's not your typical narrative-driven film-it's more of a hypnotic experience that pulls you deeper with each scene. The visuals are dreamlike, the tone shifts constantly, and the line between reality and imagination blurs in the most intriguing way.

This film isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy abstract storytelling and artistic risks, you'll be captivated. It left me thinking long after it ended.

Mart Sander seems to be one of the-if not the-most prolific filmmakers to emerge from Estonia, and his films are certainly different, but worth watching.

Listening to dialogue that seems to be written for English speakers and then getting mostly-Estonian speakers to translate that to the screen is not without its challenges, and it often detracts from the final product, but if you can get past that mental hurdle and focus on the aesthetics and the complexities of the story, it becomes easier to fall into the dream-like world Sander has established in films like this.

Many scenes remind me of a Greenaway film but with more entertainment value. Like Greenaway, Sander seems to pull classic artworks off the canvas into cinema (albeit less directly), but I think he does it in a more entertaining way. (If you know Greenaway's work you know it can be challenging to sit through at times, usually due to an almost condescending disregard for the audience's patience.) Sander seems a bit more concerned with exposition than Geenaway-and though the sweet spot often eludes him, his work here is a bit more fun to watch.

The mood and gloom of this film also feels a bit Poe-ish, which adds to the entertainment value as well-at least for those who like Poe, art, and magical realism.

Thankfully, Tubi seems to have picked up quite a a few of Sander's films. Check them out!