Sleep
Written and Directed by Jason Yu
Starring Lee Sun-kyun, Jung Yu-mi
Runtime 94 minutes
Now playing in theaters and digitally

by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

I believe that one of the simplest ways to make an audience really feel the stakes of a horror film, is to give us characters we want to root for. The family in Poltergeist, Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis in The Fly, or the father/daughter duo in Train to Busan are great examples of this. When you like these characters or feel something to relate with, it makes the terror that they are walking towards that much terrifying. This is something that writer/director Jason Yu expertly does in his new feature The Sleep.

Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) and Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) are a delightful duo, building a life together, and as we watch them grapple with mounting horrors, it makes for a tense and gripping story. Hyun-su suddenly begins to sleep and walk. At first it seems strange but normal enough given some of the stressors they are dealing with. He and his wife Soo-jin are newlyweds who are expecting a child and he is also dealing with anxieties around his acting career which is not taking off the way he wants it to. Even though the two face his increasingly strange symptoms head on nothing they do seems to work, and if anything only makes it that much worse. It is not long before the rational and pragmatic Soo-jin begins to worry that there might be paranormal forces at work, ones that could threaten the safety of their soon to be born child.

One aspect of the film that really works is that Jason Yu drops us into the story right as the sleepwalking starts, so we are on the same journey as our young couple. We watch as the two come up with rational and manageable solutions to adjust to the sleep walking and make sure that everyone feels safe. We also watch as they begin to exhaust all of their ideas and resources to the point that we see Soo-jin begin to let doubt into her mind and this lets in the idea that supernatural forces could be at work, something that would typically be too unbelievable for the sensible woman. Going on this journey also allows us as the audience to come up with our own ideas and theories about what might be going on.

We live in times where it seems that many moviegoers want plots and explanations spoon fed to them, so the fact that Jason Yu does not give us many answers as the story progresses may feel a bit frustrating. But it also allows for our own beliefs, rationalizations, and ideas to become a part of the viewing. This is an effective strategy that also shows how well written and tight the script is because it allows for us to have our own very different experiences while watching it.

On top of the great script, the film is also driven by its two lead performers. From the very beginning Soo-jin and Hyun-su are a couple we want to see be happy. They are so clearly in love. We watch them snuggle, playfully poke fun at one another, and stand by each other as events become increasingly stressful. They are the kind of couple and relationship many of us would hope to have, and all of this is because of the incredible acting skills and chemistry we witness on screen. Lee Sun-kyun brings charm and flexibility to his performance, and his expressive face makes it very telling what is going through his mind. Jung Yu-mi does an incredible job at showing how an organized and logical type-A personality can lose their footing as they realize they cannot control all of the circumstances life throws at them.

Feeling this by way of the characters makes this little supernatural story feel increasingly tense and terrifying. There are difficult moments to get through (especially those of us who are dog lovers) and simple but effective scares that show how sleep disorders can be a scary issue to cope with even without the potential ghostly apparitions. Sleep is a great example of a film that can lean on its script, actors, and simple horror elements and still be incredibly effective without giving audiences all the bells and whistles they have become so used to.