Sleep

There is no jump scare, but how 'Sleep' manipulates my fear, uncertainty, and anxiety is something else. It's a kind of horror that I can watch without getting too scared, but I cannot go to sleep, thinking about the whole movie over and over in my head. The situation in the movie might seem extreme, but sleep disorder, noise between floors, and postpartum depression are very much realistic social problems and very much modern problems as well. They are almost tangible, and you hear about them everyday. Three things combined in the movie, the ending is not that extreme anymore, and it's scarier because it can happen to me, too.

How the director uses lighting and composition makes the movie more intense. Before the wife is affected by husband's abnormal behavior during REM sleep, lighting is shed in front of her face. However, once she starts to lose control of her reasons and mental health, the lighting moves to the back of her head, increasing the eerie atmosphere and highlighting the sudden change.

Terrific premise for a movie that really delivers - sure the cliched horror movie scares run through much of the film but everything is performed in such an imaginative and inventive way that you are fascinated - engaged - and thoroughly frightened - Sleep has a great premise - two loving individuals have their world turned upside down by the husbands sleep walking - sleep walking that turns into a horror show as the film moves forward - is he having a psychotic break ? Is it really a sleep disorder ? Or is there something more sinister in the works? Who is the really crazy person here? Noone is safe as the movie progresseses..and while an overall simple movie it is powerful in its delivery - with characters that are very well developed - and two dogs that are essential to the overall plot - and a power drill - enough said - Lots of fun! Delivers the goods !!

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.

Jason Yu's debut with his first film is truly satisfying, offering us an interesting and addictive suspense that overflows with tension with the intelligence of Korean cinema.

With a small cast where the main couple Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-Kyun steal the show, they manage to captivate with the true suffering that the situation that surrounds them brings and that their director knows how to handle in a balanced way between terror, suspense and touches of humor that lead us to have a truly effective film throughout its entire journey.

The greatest virtue of its script is knowing how to use the mix between the language of terror with a moving story of domestic life and the difficulties of marriage, and it does so with all that touch of a brilliant staging by its director and a BSO that sticks like the best companion so that everything fits together perfectly both visually, aesthetically and sound-wise.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the film is not perfect, as we find a final part that is a little more abrupt than all of his initial work, but it does not prevent us from pleasantly enjoying what we are seeing.

An interesting bet that brings us a gratifying debut from a director worth taking into account, and that provides us with a fun Korean horror thriller that works with intelligence and simplicity at the same time.

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.