The feature debut of German writer-director Michael Venus is certainly stylish and transfixing at times, but it takes ingestion of the disc extras (of which there are many on the Arrow Releasing presentation) for the average viewer to get a grip on what is really happening here. Some may take that as a detriment for the semi-opaque horror item, originally released in German as Schlaf.
Easier-to-grok influences seem to be a few Stanley Kubrick properties (mainly The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut). One is given to understand that much Teutonic folklore, psychology, and one of the more esoteric Brothers Grimm fairy tales (Frau Trude) permeate the narrative. Marlene (Sandra Hüller) suffers nightmares and visions revolving around a hotel/lodge in the rural German village of Steinbach. When Marlene makes an impulsive trip there, she suffers a breakdown, and her initially skeptical adult daughter Mona (Gro Swantje Kohlhof) must take up residence in the neighborhood to watch over her.
Now Mona begins to dream things, such as animal-masked men, boars, and tableaux of bloody suicides, somehow connected to a lavish inn run by ambitious local entrepreneur Otto (August Schmölzer), a man who must be tied in bed at night by his long-suffering wife, lest he tries to murder someone. In fact, sleep disorders plague the community. The suicides Marlene dreamt of were quite real, and there are other buried secrets in Steinbach, tied to lingering Nazi atrocities, a shadowy brotherhood, revenge, and a long-missing local woman named Trude.
The issue here is that, as in the Nightmare on Elm Street series (though this is far, far less popcorn-y), what you see may not be trusted, or maybe a waking dream, or maybe a flashback. One key scene of ghostly possession is particularly disorienting, even as much as one appreciates the filmmaker’s bold approach. A graphic nude orgy fantasy sequence may or may not clear matters up, but should definitely be brought to buyers’ attention.
The abovementioned disc extras (all in English with optional subtitles) include a commentary track by eminent author and horror authority Kim Newman and filmmaker-author Sean Hogan, who make the point that the economic recession in Germany has been a boon to horror filmmakers, now enjoying deserted or near-empty hotels and other atmospheric buildings available as cut-rate sets. Film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas does a visual essay effusively praising Sleep and its intricacies, and she recites the full English text of Frau Trude (don’t expect any conceptual breakthroughs from the latter, though). An Edinburgh College of Art scholar expounds on dream symbolism/history, whilst another academic does the honors for war guilt.
There are also deleted scenes and a digital gallery of drawings that figure into the plot. The Limited Edition from Arrow also includes a booklet and fold-out poster artwork, and, of course, a retelling of Frau Trude. Perhaps the more entertaining/goofier add-ons are viral-video-style introductions filmed by Michael Venus and his cast, customized for visits of Sleep/Schlaf to assorted horror-friendly film festivals around the globe. Apparently, these outreaches were inspired by the COVID quarantine.
It translates as meaning that Sleep has fervent admirers in the world cinema critical firmament and announces Michael Venus as a talent to watch. But Black Forest-thick veils of meaning and ambiguity leave it a strong optional purchase for international film library shelves.
Discover more titles for your film collection in our list of horror movies.