SLEEP (2023) is a South Korean thriller (org. title: Jam) and while it’s shorter than most movies from South Korea, it packs a real punch. Definitely worth checking out. Read our full Sleep movie review here!
SLEEP (2023) is a new horror, thriller, mystery hybrid with some comedy thrown in for good measure from South Korea (org. title: Jam).
Mind you, the “comedy” is of a very dark variety. In fact, towards the end, there is no longer any reason to laugh! With a runtime of just 94 minutes, this is one of the shortest South Korean genre films, I have watched. But it works wonderfully!
Continue reading our Sleep movie review below. Find it in theaters and on digital from September 27, 2024.
“Someone’s inside”
In Sleep, things progressively seem to go from bad to worse. It begins when newlyweds Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) are still in their domestic bliss.
However, this is soon interrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep. Specifically stating that “Someone’s inside” which obviously terrifies his very pregnant wife.
Following this one strange event, Hyun-su begins transforming into a sleepwalking stranger whenever he falls asleep. Impossible to wake up, and with no recollection of his actions when he wakes up the next morning.
Needless to say, both Soo-jin and Hyun-su have a lot of anxiety associated with his sleepwalking. However, despite intense treatment regimes, it only intensifies. Maybe it’s time for Soo-jin’s mother to step in with her Shaman?!
Brutally realistic
As someone who has previously sleepwalked a few times, I always wonder what damage one could do while sleeping. I mean, there’s a documentary titled Dead Awake about a murder, so I know it can get quite wild.
Still, the way sleepwalking is depicted in this movie, somehow feels even more brutal due to its realism. At first, the sleepwalking husband is just up to the usual weird stuff like eating everything in the fridge – in ways you wouldn’t normally.
Or he is scratching his cheek until it bleeds, which is also bad enough. However, it gets a whole lot worse as he approaches open windows. And worse yet when there’s a newborn child in their home!
Needless to say, his wife is getting by on very little (or no) sleep as everything escalates and a small child becomes part of the household. It is brutal!
Watch Sleep in theaters or on VOD
Sleep is written and directed by Jason Yu. Before making this movie – which is his debut – he worked with the Korean legends Bong Joon-ho (Okja, Parasite) and Lee Chang-dong (Burning).
This debut has been at some impressive screenings since its world premiere at Cannes’ Critics’ Week. Including at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival, Midnight Madness at TIFF [Toronto International Film Festival], and Fantastic Fest.
As a movie from South Korea (org. title: Jam), it should please fans of South Korean productions. I say this as a fan of these productions. Also, you may recognize the lead actors from other big South Korean hits.
Sleep stars Jung Yu-mi from Train to Busan (2016) alongside the late Lee Sun-kyun of Parasite (2019) and Project Silence (2023). This may be a shorter movie, but you can be sure it packs the same punch as other South Korean movies.
Sleep (org. title: Jam) is In theaters & On Digital on September 27, 2024.
Details
Director: Jason Yu
Script: Jason Yu
Cast: Lee Sun-kyun, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Guk-Hee, Kim Keum-Soon, Lee Kyung-Jin, Yoon Kyung-Ho
Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.
Plot
A happily married couple, Hyun-su and Soo-jin, whose peaceful lives are disrupted by the disturbing nocturnal behavior of Hyun-su. As they strive to unravel the horrifying secret of the inexplicable actions that occur during his sleep, the film delves into the efforts of these two individuals.
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