Review: Sleep – “a cinematic talent to watch out for.”

A married couple try to unravel the strange nocturnal behaviour that has befallen one of them.

Life is good for Hyun-su and Soo-jin as they await the arrival of their first-born child but things take a dramatic turn as the behaviour of Hyun-su becomes erratic once he falls asleep; he goes from sitting on the edge of the bed declaring that they are not alone to severely scratching his face to becoming a threat to those around him.  Clinical medical advice and treatment is sought out; however, Soo-jin’s superstitious mother believes that some spiritual intervention might be needed to rectify the situation.

Done in the satirical volatile edge that would make Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook proud, filmmaker Jason Yu has created an ode to married life where a couple are pushed to the limits of their marriage vows as the situation goes from being quirky to diabolical.  There is even a wooden plaque on the apartment wall that reads: ‘We can overcome anything together.’  Time is not wasted as the premise immediate kicks in when Hyun-su claims there is another presence in the room and even the arrival of the baby is not delayed so to elevate the stakes.

The cinematography is off-kilter at times which plays up both the humour and suspense in scenes, the score has a mischievous whimsical quality, and the sound design hits like a hammer against a nail causing the heartbeat to race faster.  Not completely sure whether the psychiatric hospital twist is believable and the Agatha Christie reveal at the end seems rather abrupt and rushed.  But considering this is the feature directorial debut for Jason Yu, who appropriately was an assistant director for Bong Joon-ho on Okja, there is a polish that already exists which makes him a cinematic talent to watch out for in the years to come.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.