Screwed people sometimes take desperate actions. And all it takes is one wrong choice for a kind of giant wheel of bad events to pass over this person - and whoever else is around. This idea has been successfully explored by several films, such as "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead". The same premise surrounds the narrative nucleus of "Sleepwalking", by Bill Maher, which has an interesting and appealing trailer in addition to an extraordinary cast and, why not, a poster, which arouses the interest of any cinephile, where the presence of Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Hopper and Nick Stahl. That said, what we can expect is an interesting and very dynamic film where, hopefully, an appealing story stands out. The reality is, however, quite different. Not that the film isn't full of dramatic or at least intense moments, but after so many promises, few of them are actually fulfilled.
Joleen (Charlize Theron) tries to explain herself at the local police station, but does not convince the police officer (Mathew St. Patrick), who takes the opportunity to give her a couple of pieces of advice. Desperate to get out of there, Joleen grabs her daughter Tara (AnnaSophia Robb) by the arm and takes her to school. Meanwhile, James (Nick Stahl), Joleen's brother, calls his work and once again repeats a lame excuse for being absent. James knows his sister needs him. Joleen and Tara move into James' house. But uncle and niece are surprised when Joleen disappears without saying where she went, just leaving Tara a letter saying she will be back in time for her birthday. Shortly afterwards, James is fired from his job and, with his rent behind, has to leave his home. Tara becomes the responsibility of social services, until she and her uncle decide to make a risky move and leave town.
People who have a comfortable life and, theoretically, small problems to solve, hardly understand people who take desperate actions. That's right. But equally true is the problem that many have in being able to communicate. In the case of the story of "Sleepwalking", two types of understanding are needed. The first requires us to "downgrade" from our secure life to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who is completely hopeless. The perspective changes. The second goes through reflection on how the lack of communication can make everything in life much more complicated. Sleepwalking is essentially a drama about family problems, lack of opportunities and, mainly, communication difficulties. Everything would be different, in this story, if instead of disappearing from her brother's house one morning, leaving only a letter with some money for her daughter, Joleen had sat down with her brother and Tara to explain her plan to them. Or not? Certainly, the insecurity, despair and turmoil of doubts that started to take over Tara's and James' lives would have been radically reduced. Or they wouldn't exist.
For starters, James probably wouldn't have spent practically an entire day looking for his sister - and consequently wouldn't have lost his job. Perhaps, still employed, James would have been able to pay the rent and Tara, more relaxed, would continue to go to school regularly. No one would have ended up in the hands of social assistance, at the risk of being adopted by another family. But no, Joleen was following in the footsteps of her father, Mr. Reedy (Dennis Hopper), from whom she had run away years before.
Incidentally, this seems to be a burden for many children of parents who do not know how to communicate or who are violent. Hating her father's conduct, Joleen managed to "get better" towards him only in part - apparently, she wasn't a violent person, but still, she couldn't hold a frank conversation with her daughter or her brother. This is one of the big questions in this film: how much people are able to learn from their own home. Or, in other words, to what extent children manage to be an "evolution" of their parents. Because this, in theory, is one of our functions, isn't it?
"Sleepwalking" shows a little of this through the trajectory of Joleen and James, children of a "rough" gentleman from the interior of the United States who is used to dealing with his children (and with life) in a rough way. Sure, he was probably raised that way and repeated old learning processes, but where's that gentleman's evolution? The problem is that the effect of this is felt by people who depend economically and, mainly, emotionally on it. In this case, your children and granddaughter. Deep down, Joleen and James were unable to exorcise the negative charge received by their father. Both tried to deny the old man's attitudes, but, to a certain extent, they repeated some of his steps. At least Joleen, who maintained a lack of communication with her daughter and apparently suffered from chronic neediness. James, somewhat "anesthetized" in a life without many ups and downs, ends up waking up from his "sleepwalking" when he is forced to feel truly responsible for someone - in this case, his niece Tara. Deep down, Sleepwalking is a beautiful film about commitment and the notion that being "awake" means facing our fears and ghosts. Understanding "where we came from" and making use of it for our future.
On the other hand, while "Sleepwalking" manages to touch on important family issues, it gets lost in some unnecessary outings. The "evil" characterization of Dennis Hopper's character is an example of this. Although the actor is divine in this role - like almost everyone else in the cast - Mr. Reedy is very cartoonishly written and composed. Nor is there much sense in that excess of violence - and the same outcome. If James knew so well what ground he was treading on, he probably wouldn't act like that. After all, he was no longer a helpless child or youth easily susceptible to an outburst of temper. Perhaps the script starts to skid from the moment James, Tara and Mr. Reedy begins to live on the farm.
Furthermore, a lack of coherence is exemplified with James and Tara's all-too-easy road escape, as well as Joleen's sudden return, "with no explanations as to where she went, why she left or why she came back". Although, frankly, these explanations would come after her reunion with her daughter. The fact is that the characters in the script are exaggeratedly one-dimensional.
Even with these points, regarding Zac Stanford's script, "Sleepwalking" is a film that values the work of actors. Charlize Theron, once again, dominates the few scenes she participates in. With each production, the actress demonstrates how she is a mature and increasingly complete actress. Nick Stahl also manages an above-average interpretation - not least because, normally, for many, this actor is just average. And, without a doubt, this had been the best opportunity in AnnaSophia Robb's career to date. The girl, who had already stood out in "My Best Friend", continued to show that she has enormous dramatic talent. At least two supporting actors have a certain prominence in this story: Woody Harrelson as Randall, James' work friend who ends up inviting his former colleague to live in the basement of his house, and Deborra-Lee Furness as Danni, an older woman who seems to interested in James.
Although it has qualities, Zac Stanford's script suffers from a too slow pace, in some moments, and apparently empty of meanings, in others. As positive points, the already mentioned valorization of the actors and the space that the film gives to moments that are visually constructed in a perfect way. The main one involves Tara, a swimming pool, a cigarette and rollerblades. That scene, in which the teenager repeats her mother's steps and shows talent in fascinating men (in her case, boys), is one of the best in the film. On the technical side, the Spanish director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchia (both in the snowy scenes, on the roads and on the family ranch) and Christopher Young in the soundtrack, stand out and contribute a lot to the dramatic atmosphere of the production.
Filmed primarily during winter, in muted browns, grays and off-whites, "Sleepwalking" maintains an atmosphere of relentless coldness, using an aesthetic of desolation as a symbol of integrity. Integrity and quality, unfortunately, are not synonymous. "Sleepwalking" remains in a small territory where few films - even indie ones - dare to tread, but it has too many flaws to make it an awards contender. The film undergoes a metamorphosis from "meticulous social realism to a horror thriller", referring to the passage from the town where James, Tara and Joleen lived to Reedy's farm. Here we have a family drama that starts off promising, has good performances - mostly -, but unfortunately gets lost along the way. Although it has good reflections and some well-constructed moments, "Sleepwalking" ends up not convincing or moving as it should. Script failures, which built overly simple-minded characters and situations that end up not having the proper connection or explanation. As a curiosity, to watch another good performance by Charlize Theron, Nick Stahl and, mainly, the great work so far by actress AnnaSophia Robb, the film is worth it. But be prepared for a somewhat dark story - in terms of visuals, aesthetics and themes - and that has some unnecessary clichés.
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