Sleep – Fantasia Review (3/5)

SLEEP is a German horror movie (org. title Schlaf) that works extremely well as a creepy slow-burner. The storyline involves both night terrors and supernatural elements. Screened at Fantasia 2020. Read our full Sleep review here!

SLEEP is a new horror movie from Germany that builds a story on the terror of struggling with intense and realistic nightmares. The kind that will result in you not breathing because you think you can’t. It’s rather scary.

This movie works extremely well as a creepy slow-burner. Especially since all the characters are both intriguing, strange, and (sometimes) strangely loveable. Also, it has quite a few moments of a vibe very much along the lines of The Shining while having a completely different storyline.

Continue reading our full Sleep review below.

When you can’t recognize a nightmare!

The key plot-element in Sleep is having characters who don’t know when they’re having a nightmare. Of course, most people don’t realize this while it’s happening, but these characters really struggle with waking up and being safe. One second everything is normal, the next they’re in a nightmare and can’t breathe.

Also, we’re specifically talking about the kind of nightmares you have to wake up from several times since the first “wake up”-moment was still part of the nightmare.

In Sleep, a mother struggles with night terrors and her young adult daughter realizes something far more sinister is going on. While she’s coming to this discovery, she begins having nightmares of her own.

Check out Sleep when you can – if you dare!

Thomas Venus is the director and co-writer on Sleep which is his feature film debut. He previously directed three short films as well, and this is a very strong and tight feature film to debut with. The co-writer is Thomas Friedrich and this is his writing debut, but I already look forward to whatever comes next from him!

Sleep might be a slow-burner in some ways, but it does also consistently deliver on moments of pure horror. Not in any super weird way, but more along the lines of a classic nightmare. Obviously, when dealing with dreams, some things are rather weird, but then it still makes some kind of sense.

Sleep premiered at Berlin International Film Festival back in February 2020, so that was before Corona took hold in Europe. Since then, it has played at various other film festivals. Including the virtual ones such as Fantasia 2020 which is where we screened it.

Sleep (org. title Schlaf) is being released in various countries now while also still playing at film festivals. Check it out when you get the chance!

Details

Director: Michael Venus
Writers: Thomas Friedrich, Michael Venus
Stars: Max Hubacher, Sandra Hueller, Gro Swantje Kohlhof