ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? // A FILM REVIEW OF “SLEEP”

BY MATEO MORENO

SLEEP is a very impressive, tightly wound thriller. The idea itself, one partner sleepwalks and the other watches in horror, could be a mess in lesser hands. But with the expert writing and directing of Jason Yu, this simple but highly effective film stuns and terrifies. Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) and Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyn) are a couple who are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child. The couple seem extremely happy; they truly enjoy each other’s company and seem to have a strong support system. One night, Soo-jin is awakened in the night by a sound. She thinks it’s an intruder. She tries to wake up her partner Hyun-Su and he, in his sleep, mutter that something is inside. Okay, the creep has arrived. Soo-jin investigates it and figures out that it’s not an intruder but typical middle of the night things. But what did her husband mean? Thinking it’s nothing, she shrugs it off, but soon sees that she can’t do that exactly, as his nocturnal behavior becomes stranger and stranger. One night he starts to scratch himself across the face and when they wake up, they’re both horrified to find that he’s deeply cut into his skin. Another night she finds him sleepwalking and at their fridge, eating a raw piece of meat. They seek help from a doctor and he immediately diagnosis it as a sleep disorder and says it’s highly treatable. Yet, Soo-jin is left feeling unsure, especially as his behavior gets stranger and stranger. Is she safe? Is their unborn baby safe? And if he’s likely to do nearly anything once he’s asleep, how can any of it be stopped?

What’s so frightening about SLEEP is how uncertain you become watching it. Yu crafts a vividly frightening tale, one that keeps your pulse pounding all the way through its conclusion. It’s a phenomenal set up and execution, one of the most self-assured horror films in some time, not even counting the fact that it’s Yu’s debut film. Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyn are both perfect in the film, radiating with great chemistry and both showcasing a deep and unsettling nature within the events. It’s also notable to point out that one of its stars, Lee Sun-kyn, sadly unalived himself due to the high pressure of celebrity culture in South Korea. Devastatingly sad at the time and even more so watching his beautiful performance here. Starting off as a slow-burn and taking off faster and faster as it goes, switching perspectives and putting a final act that simply dazzles is no easy feat. But Jason Yu does it all here, spectacularly. SLEEP will stay with you well into your own slumber. Best of luck shaking this one.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Jason Yu STARRING Lee Sun-kyn, Jung Yu-mi OPENS SEPTEMBER 27TH IN SELECT THEATRES AND ON DIGITAL

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