Somnium Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Somnium Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 13, 2026

Writer/director Rachael Cain has a lot of ideas for “Somnium,” her helming debut. And she’s determined to try and squeeze them all into a single movie. It’s a story involving the loneliness of an aspiring actress in Los Angeles, her heartbreak involving her ex-boyfriend, the mysteries of producer support in Hollywood, and the strangeness of employment at a sleep center. Cain gives herself 90 minutes to work through quite a lot of ideas and feelings in the picture, but focus is the main element missing from the endeavor. “Somnium” hopes to be a penetrating drama and something vaguely resembling a horror feature, but it never fully settles on one idea. It’s not a mess, just incredibly half-baked, leaving the audience with an assortment of emotions, subplots, and moods that don’t fully connect in the end.

Gemma (Chloe Levine) is new to Los Angeles, leaving behind her life in Georgia to try to make it as a working actress in the big city. She has no friends, no contacts, and next to nothing in her savings account, soon hitting the streets to find employment as she waits for audition opportunities. Gemma locates a unique job opening at Somnium, a sleep clinic run by Dr. Shaffer (Gillian White), a former sports psychologist who’s concocted a way to help patients turn their desires into dreams, and their dreams into an empowered reality. She needs an overnight “sleep sitter,” and Gemma jumps at the opportunity, receiving training from her boss, Noah (Will Peltz), while co-worker Olivia (Clarissa Thibeaux) takes the day shift. Gemma is meant to monitor security cameras, making sure patients remain asleep, but she’s also dealing with a lot on her mind, including frustrations with her acting career, and she can’t shake memories of her ex-boyfriend, Hunter (Peter Vack), with their breakup haunting her. Offering some help is Brooks (Johnathon Schaech), a mysterious producer who takes a liking to the sad woman, and Gemma also battles visions of a creature that haunts the darkness, testing the limits of her sanity.

Gemma has acting ambition, but she arrives in L.A. without contacts or a game plan. She’s hoping to make her dream happen, but without much money, she’s destined to struggle. This tension is meant to carry throughout “Somnium,” as Cain repeatedly returns to the character’s financial woes, inspiring the Georgian to pursue work at Somnium, which is offering fast employment. The sleep clinic is home to several patient rooms, and Noah is in charge of explaining what’s going on with the dream-manipulation, though Cain never gets too deep into treatment talk, preferring to embrace the visual of glowing beds and the stillness of the building at night. Gemma is just there to monitor and report issues, though Noah is around as well, and Cain doesn’t exactly have a plan for the character, who’s presented as something of a threat, but also a potential romantic connection.

Adding to the mystery of “Somnium” is Brooks, who appears out of the night to help Gemma when she’s feeling down. He looks like a predator, and possibly is, but he’s weirdly committed to the aspiring actress, concerned about her mental health while offering her opportunities to make connections. Brooks is an odd addition to the story, and he’s not treated with depth, making his devotion to Gemma puzzling. However, a lot of elements in “Somnium” are bewildering, extending to the main character’s battle with visions of a demon that’s meant to be more symbolic than threatening. Still, Cain treats the addition like a monster, sending the movie into sequences of suspense that go nowhere. And the writing is often focused on Gemma’s troubled time with Hunter, as flashbacks and thoughts dominate the picture, helping the film to lose focus as ideas, not plot, dominate the viewing experience.

Somnium Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation for "Somnium" offers a decent level of detail, exploring skin particulars on the cast and costuming choices for medical and celebratory outfits. Interiors handle with dimension around office and living spaces, preserving some decorative detail. Exteriors find depth as the characters find their way around Los Angeles. Color is sharp, favoring glowing hues with sleep clinic equipment, and makeup additions are lively. Warmer tones register in living spaces. Skin tones are natural. Compression issues are a common site during the viewing experience, with large, sustained explosions of banding (the final act of the feature is swimming in it), helping to diminish detail and delineation. Blockiness is present as well.

Somnium Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix provides crisp dialogue exchanges, securing softer emotional moments as the main character deals with the issues in her life. Scoring offers comfortable support, with clear instrumentation and suspenseful support. Surrounds aren't wildly active, but atmospherics add a bit of immersion at times, and musical moods register. A few separation effects are noted, and low-end isn't challenged.

Somnium Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains an essay by Katie Rife.

• Commentary features writer/director Racheal Cain.

• Intro (2:19, HD) provides opening thoughts from writer/director Racheal Cain, who discusses her intent with "Somnium," and her 14-year-long journey to make the feature. She also offers gratitude to cast and crew for helping her to pull off the project.

• Deleted Scene (1:27, HD) is offered.

• "Bringing the Creature to Life" (11:24, HD) is an interview with creature FX designer Olga Tarnovetska and creature performer Bries Vannon. The pair explore the creation of the monster in the movie, walking through the development of ideas and the formation of characterization. Technical details of creature construction are provided, and Vannon's physical presence on-set is recalled, handling long hours of makeup application and performance choices.

• "Bringing the Void to Life" (6:25, HD) is an interview with VFX producer Matt Lathrom, who details his collaboration with writer/director Racheal Cain, handed an opportunity to interpret the strange visuals in her screenplay. Technical labor is tracked, developing effects for many scenes, especially the climax of "Somnium." Other visual ideas are also dissected, and Lathrom offers praise for the endeavor and its low- budget achievements.

• "Building the Character of Gemma" (9:19, HD) is a video conference interview with actress Chloe Levine, who "vibed" with writer/director Racheal Cain, excited to join "Somnium." The interviewee explores her experience on the picture, connecting with her fellow actors and working around creature effects. Characterization is identified, and praise for Cain is shared.

• Image Gallery (5:19) collects BTS snaps.

• And a Trailer (1:06, HD) is included.

Somnium Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Somnium" eventually submits to dreamscape exploration, tied to the discovery of "Cloud Nine" therapy for extreme cases of mental illness, though the particulars of this program aren't explored in full. Cain simply needs Gemma to reach a state of distress and self-destruction, launching a voyage into the unreal to best bring out the brain-bleeder concepts of the script. There's plenty there with the saga of a struggling actress battling homesickness, along with sleep clinic exploration, but "Somnium" doesn't connect the dots in an involving manner, and Cain eventually loses interest in telling a cohesive story about isolation and doubt. There's ambition in the picture, but no real game plan to bring psychological and industry nuances to life.