7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The idyllic village of Stainbach is being haunted by a mysterious demon. It turns out that the nightmares of Marlene are responsible for the dark events. She is driving some of the inhabitants of the village insane during her terrible dreams. When she discovers her nightmares are about a real place, she tracks down the village of Stainbach to get to the bottom of the mystery. There, she learns about the consequence of her dreams and suffers a nervous breakdown. Soon after, she is admitted to a psychiatric ward. Her daughter Mona journeys to Stainbach to find out the reason for her mother's breakdown and the demonic nightmares she suffered from. She comes into contact with the peculiar villagers and discovers the dark history hidden within the quiet village. Perhaps the nightmare isn't the demon that threatens the town after all, but rather - the past.
Starring: Gro Swantje Kohlhof, Sandra Hüller, August Schmölzer, Marion Kracht, Agata BuzekHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 93% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you dream you're dreaming, and then supposedly "wake up", only to realize the dream is continuing? If so, you may be better prepared than some for the surreal onslaught that awaits in the provocative thriller Sleep, a film which even according to some of the supplements on this disc may ask more questions than it ultimately answers. The film is ostensibly about two women, mother Marlene (Sandra Hüller) and daughter Mona (Gro Swantje Kohlhof), and mysteries that accrue after Marlene, who suffers from a kind of sleep apnea where nightmares make her stop breathing, decides to investigate at a hotel that keeps showing up in those nightmares. Though the film is deliberately edited in a disjointed fashion, mixing timelines, frequently intercutting between various characters, and traversing the so-called "liminal" space between wakefulness and dreams, it becomes apparent that this strategy to visit the hotel only results in Marlene becoming virtually catatonic, consigned to a hospital bed. An inquisitive Mona decides to follow in her mother's footsteps, though the film also slowly reveals that Mona may be following in her mother's footsteps in less literal ways, and may in fact suffer from some of the same debilitating conditions that have made her mother unresponsive.
Sleep is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. The insert booklet contains only the following generic information about the transfer:
Sleep is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio [sic] with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound. The High Definition master was provided by Global Screen, GMBH.I haven't been able to track down any authoritative technical information on the shoot, and I wasn't able to really make out any model names on some of the cameras that can briefly be seen in some of the supplements, but the IMDb has a rather weird "2K" listed after the designation that the film is in color, which I assume pertains to the DI. One way or the other, this is a sharp and appealing looking presentation, one where the "magical realist" elements are so convincingly woven into the proceedings that you may not actually notice all of them right off the bat (as in the case of the Jenga stack mentioned above). Fine detail is extremely well rendered for virtually all of the presentation, with elements like the fabrics that Mona wears almost palpable at times. Other aspects, like the bristly fur of the wild boars that make recurrent appearances, are also generally very impressive. The palette is intentionally tamped down a lot of the time, though that makes moments like the bright red (hellishly red) hotel sign, or a later scene under a blacklight, really pop convincingly, if only by comparison. I noticed no issues with compression anomalies.
Sleep features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original German. The film has a hallucinatory sound design at times, with seemingly disjunctive ambient environmental effects wafting in and out of the soundstage, and with certain effects, like a breath sucking demon, featuring some unsettling sounds. Outdoor scenes offer good spaciousness, but even some of the inside material benefits from smartly placed directional effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
This may be the first Arrow disc I've reviewed (and maybe the first disc from any label I've reviewed) which brings up a "spoiler" warning when the Special Features submenu is accessed. Also, perhaps because this is a German language film, Arrow has authored the disc with optional English subtitles for the English language supplements (including the commentary).
- An Invitation to Normality (HD; 00:53)
- Pest Control (HD; 00:58)
- When Wolfram Rules the World (HD; 1:56)
- King Otto (HD; 00:55)
- Promotional Stills and Posters (HD)
- Behind the Scenes
Some of the supplements on this disc get into a laundry list of perceived antecedents to this film, including works by such notable gurus as Mario Bava and David Lynch, but despite some elements that admittedly have populated other outings, Sleep is rather bracingly sui generis. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package outstanding. Highly recommended.
Il mulino delle donne di pietra
1960
L'orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock / Slipcover in Original Pressing
1962
呪いの館 血を吸う眼 / Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me
1971
幽霊屋敷の恐怖 血を吸う人形 / Chi o suu ningyô
1970
El siniestro doctor Orloff | Standard Edition
1984
L'Amante del Demonio / Lucifera Demonlover
1972
1972
Doctor Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo / Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf / Dr. Jekyll vs. the Wolfman / Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf
1972
Wanita Harimau
1989
1970
She-wolf
1983
着信アリFinal / Chakushin ari: Final
2006
1988
La Cruz del Diablo
1975
Draguse ou le manoir infernal
1976
Drácula contra Frankenstein / Dracula vs. Dr. Frankenstein
1972
口裂け女 / Kuchisake-onna
2007
Les week-ends maléfiques du Comte Zaroff
1976
2013
オーディション | Ôdishon | Special Edition
1999