At the tail end of 2023, the untimely death of South Korean star Lee Sun-kyun shocked the world. Best known as one of the stars of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, Lee had been one of his generation’s most acclaimed actors, starring in local mainstream and arthouse films. Among the latter were several collaborations with director Hong Sang-soo, many of which paired him with actor Jung Yu-mi (Oki’s Movie, Our Sunhi). In what ended up being Lee’s final film to premiere while he was still alive, the two stars are reunited for a spooky tale that showcases both their respective talents.
Sleep is the electric debut of writer-director Jason Yu. Lee plays Hyun-su, a jobbing actor stuck with two-line roles, who lives in an apartment with his pregnant wife, Soo-jin (Jung), who has an office job. Theirs is a sweet relationship. They greet and hype up each other as “Mr. Oscar Winner” and “Ms. Executive”. Their framed wedding photo features them with their Pomeranian, Pepper, wearing a bowtie. A plaque saying ‘Together We Can Overcome Anything’ decorates their living room. That’ll soon be put to the test.
One night, Hyun-su says the words, “Someone’s inside,” in his sleep. Over the next few nights, he not only starts walking but also self-harming while asleep. Tests reveal that Hyun-su has a sleep behaviour disorder, meaning that lifestyle adjustments must be made as the couple wait for his medication to start working.
Sleep’s narrative is divided into three chapters. Given that Soo-jin’s pregnancy is very far along, it’s no spoiler to say that the second chapter tracks how the birth of their child only worsens anxieties concerning Hyun-su’s mysterious condition. This stretch is also where Sleep begins flirting with a specific horror subgenre, though additional unease comes via Soo-jin’s postnatal depression. As her own dreams compound the fear that Hyun-su will unwittingly harm their newborn daughter during an episode, paranoid Soo-jin is drawn to supernatural solutions over the scientific ones that aren’t producing a cure.
This is one of those horror films where the exploration of genuinely unsettling ideas is skilfully done throughout, even if specific scare sequences never quite provoke jolts as clearly intended. Unlike Jang Jae-hyun’s excellent Exhuma from this year (which also features possession), Sleep is lacking in really ghastly images that sear onto the brain. That’s alright, though, when the overall film is so consistently entertaining, with such confident direction and protagonists so endearing.
Despite sleepiness being part of its premise, the pacing of Yu’s film is propulsive, and the deft detours into dark comedy – especially a reveal involving PowerPoint slides – are a highlight. But it’s Jung and Lee’s work that lingers the most, their thoroughly charming, lively performances enhancing the tragedy and dread of something awful happening to them. They at least luck out with one of the quieter newborns in horror history, though the baby’s relative lack of crying is unnerving in its own way.
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ANTICIPATION.
The final film of the late Lee Sun-kyun. Directed by a protégé of Bong Joon Ho. 4
ENJOYMENT.
Jason Yu has the juice, as the kids say. Lee and Jung Yu-mi break your heart. 4
IN RETROSPECT.
Get to the cinema for some good Sleep. 4
Directed by
Jason Yu
Starring
Kim Gook Hee, Yoon Kyung-ho, Lee Sun-kyun
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