Sleep Marks An Exceptional Debut From Director Jason Yu
Have you ever had trouble falling asleep? Better yet, do you ever get frustrated you can’t sleep because of your partner — for days on end? Or, I’ll do you one better, do you ever have difficulty falling asleep because your partner quite literally turns into another entity, someone else, at night so you’re clueless as to who you’re really sleeping next to? Well, Sleep tackles that and examines what no sleep does to the human mind. Jason Yu’s debut film makes you question the lengths you’d go for your partner.
Sleep follows newlyweds Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), whose lives are disrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep, ominously stating, “Someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, Hyun-su transforms into someone else, with no recollection of what happened the night before. Overwhelmed with anxiety that he may hurt himself or their young family, Soo-jin can barely sleep because of this irrational fear. Despite treatment, Hyun-su’s sleepwalking only intensifies and Soo-jin begins to feel that her unborn child may be in danger.
Sleep made its world premiere at Cannes’ Critics’ Week and has received rave reviews ever since — and it’s no wonder why. Sleep throws the suspense out the window and cuts right to the chase. The film takes you through an emotional rollercoaster from the get-go, but in the best way possible. I never knew what was coming next, leaving a lot to my imagination, with director Yu challenging viewers and continually taking it up a notch. Yu accomplishes this yo-yo feeling by slowly developing a contrasting dynamic within the characters themselves.
During the day, Hyun-su and Soo-jin are nearly theatrical in their interactions and daily routines, while their demeanors, especially Hyun-su’s, alter come night-time. This made me, as a viewer, feel physically unsettled when the sun began to set on screen. Though, Yu threw me the occasional bone by including comedic breaks throughout the film, which I very much appreciated. I loved the scene where Hyun-su is being tested for his sleep patterns, which was a rather serious moment quickly turned the opposite when he and Soo-jin pose for a selfie. Wouldn’t we all do the same given the same circumstances?
While I’m uncertain if it was intentional or not, Sleep’s social commentary could be left up to interpretation, leaving another ominous, sneaky takeaway from this film. One thing I am certain of is that Yu’s main goal was just that — to create a film so deeply engaging with the audience that we’re never distracted by anything else other than his brilliant film. Fair warning, the ending of this film may have you sleeping with one eye open!
Sleep will leave you tense, engrossed, and anxious, in all the best ways you crave from a thriller. This film has created an eagerness in me to see what else Yu will come up with next.
Sleep will be released in theaters and on digital September 27.
