Hypersomnia (2016) User Reviews

Uninteresting, unrealistic, leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

[soapwool · 4/10 · 15 June 2017]

There are some films that are so bad they're good, some that are overall bad but are worth watching for some interesting concepts brought up or other redeeming qualities - but I just don't recommend watching this one at all. It would be more valuable to take the premise and write something yourself, as that might be at least a little more interesting (and original).

As others have stated, there are many directions this film could have gone, and nearly all of them might have been better.

The premise quite nicely allows for intrigue and horror aspects throughout, but the climax and resolution which that world leads up to are simply disappointing (and gross).

The characters are two-dimensional and mostly either bland, forgettable or unbearable (or perhaps both, unbearable in their blandness). Not to mention completely unrealistic. Motives are not clear, or legitimate motives are not present throughout. On top of this, motives are blurred even more by stupid plot-twists.

Many loose ends, ideas abandoned within minutes of their introduction, never to be brought up again.

There is nothing new here - we've got trope-filled exploitation, unlit torture rooms*, hardened victimised prostitute girls, some tacky and pointless gore, insects in stomachs**, and, drum-roll... a cheap resolution backed by cheesy pop-style music. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth and completely devalues the rest of the movie (assuming it had anything of value).

As for a PSA about human trafficking… it almost seems insulting. In fact, as mentioned in the credits themselves, there are thousands of cases of human trafficking per year - it seems insensitive to dramatize the issue unrealistically, and then pointless to watch this unrealistic movie about it when it's already happening on such a large (considering) and terrible scale.

*Which at first I questioned... Sure, it's atmospheric, but I feel being trapped in a constantly brightly-lit place would be terrible too, mess with your circadian rhythm in a terrible way. I realised it's most likely because bringing in electricians raises your risk of being caught.

**Not sure what's with this theme in horror - bugs are friends.

Sleepy time

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 15 February 2018]

If you google Hypersomnia you'll find out what it means. And the movie revolves around that theme ... something our main character suffers from. It's a weird illness/sickness and it's not the only thing you have to suspend your disbelief from. I read another review who wrote that it's completely detached from reality ... and that's true. It's also something you shouldn't hold against the movie, but something you should cherish.

If not, the movie will feel like torture to you ... no pun intended. I didn't read anything about the movie (except the google search for the title) and so I was kind of surprised of the way it handled things and where it went with the idea it has. It also tries to send a message, which amidst all the violence (and nudity) is a good thing (although some might say it is a bit exploitative) ... Overall decent effort

Strange movie, but enjoyable nonetheless...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 22 February 2020]

I hadn't heard about "Hipersomnia" before stumbling upon it here in 2020. I was initially lured in by the movie's cover, which was intriguing and interesting. And the movie was labeled as horror, so of course I took the time to sit down and watch it.

While writer and director Gabriel Grieco's movie "Hipersomnia" from 2016 isn't exactly what I would label as a horror movie, it was definitely an interesting enough movie. It starts out alright, but then becomes somewhat of a strange movie in the middle, right up until the reveal of what is actually going on, then the director Gabriel Grieco gives you that "ah, so that is what going on" experience. And that was definitely enjoyable. So a nice twist there, which makes the movie worthwhile watching.

The acting in the movie was good, and I do enjoy watching movies where I am not familiar with the cast, as that prevents me from associating them with previously portrayed characters. Yamila Saud definitely carried the movie quite well.

Now, "Hipersomnia" is not a movie that will fall equally well into everyone's taste, because there is some odd quality to the movie, for better or worse. I enjoyed it, but I believe that the movie will not be as entertaining to everyone in the audience.

I am rating this movie a six out of ten stars.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

[Ionizing · 7/10 · 8 June 2017]

It seems Argentinian films are fast becoming my favourite choice for well made, imaginative, unpredictable dramas, and Hypersomnia for the most part fits that. Edgy and taut, it's heavy on atmosphere, with a sense of risk and menace saturating it, taunting its audience to figure out what's happening as it continually unfolds.

Deliberately blurring the age-old lines between actress and prostitute and reality and fantasy, Hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness) presents like an uncompromising stage play, and any outlining of the narrative here would probably spoil it, but given that this is set in Argentina its themes resonate more viscerally than the usual Hollywood fantasy horror, and is generally better made and thought out.

Unfortunately though, after a promising and intriguing story has developed, it then sadly relies upon and drops into the usual Hollywood tropes rather than exploring the layered themes that it has set up, and so suddenly looks hurried and wasteful at the end as it rushes to conclude.

Could have been, and should have been better than it was, but if this is your genre then there is still plenty to recommend it.

I Don't Get The Harsh 4.3 Rating

[Foutainoflife · 7/10 · 7 February 2019]

This film is about a girl who wants to be an actress. She gets a part in a play that seems to revolve around sex trafficking that makes her start experiencing strange episodes. She finds herself in one place and in the blink of an eye she is in another. The place she finds herself in happens to be a place where she is actually living as a victim of sex trafficking. These episodes are very real for her and she starts to see a therapist out of concern that there may be something wrong with her. She reveals that these experiences have happened at other moments in her life. She gives herself over to these events in an attempt to make sense of it all and begins to act on her own theories. What is going on here? This is your plot.

I found the first parts of this film to be a bit confusing but I hung in there and ended up really enjoying it. This isn't overly bloody or gory and while there is some nudity, it isn't what I would consider sexually explicit. The story does have some holes but not so many that I couldn't overlook them and simply take it for what it was.

All-in-all, even with its low budget, plot holes and initial confusion this turned out to be a fairly decent film. Just don't be a horror snob and give it credit for being one of the better B movies. I'm glad I checked it out.

Unexpected surprise, excellent Argentinian thriller!

[stsinger · 8/10 · 14 August 2017]

"Hypersomnia" took me totally by surprise. It is an Argentinian thriller that's way better than you'd expect it to be. We begin by following the story of Milena, a young actress. She is trying to get a part in a play and is going through a rather odd audition process for a rather odd director. The play is about a woman who has been abducted by sex traffickers and, at odd times, she seems to have dreams and blackouts where she imagines that she herself is a victim.

In these flashes, she is called Laly… but we're not sure if that's her name since we see that the other women are forced to have different names than their real names. We flip between Milena's life as an actress, where she deals with other actors, boyfriends, and the director and the vision of Laly, trapped along with other women, captors (friendly and unfriendly), and one horrible client ominously called "The Gardener." As the film unfolds, we slowly start to become unsure which life is real and which is the fantasy…

As mentioned, "Hypersomnia" is way better than it has any right to be. It draws you into the dual-realities and makes you feel Milena's confusion to what she's feeling and experiencing, and comes up with a satisfying explanation. There are parts that are suitably gruesome and horrific, and I found myself rooting for the characters. Not perfect; as typical some characters make weird decisions, one of the "twists" is pretty obvious early on, and at the very end it gets a little preachy. But overall, this was a pleasant and unexpected surprise -- "Hypersomnia" is a top-notch thriller that I really enjoyed.

You can see this on Netflix with easy to read subtitles, definitely recommended.

A surreal trip into human trafficking

[dianacseiler · 10/10 · 9 June 2017]

This is my take on it as a non-bi-lingual person,and I couldn't Netflix it with subtitles. It was creepy, surreal, suspenseful, and managed to throw in a seemingly sympathetic bad guy that ends up wearing a leather mask and wielding a knife and jars of creepy bugs and worms.

I don't speak The language, so I may have bits squed, but what it looked like it starts with is a woman not wanting sex with her boyfriend because the play that she is rehearsing for has her playing a woman who's being an abused held captive sex worker. When she sleeps she dreams the part she is acting is real, and that she is the character that she is playing. Her dreaming becomes visions while she is awake, and it's hard to tell if she is the actress dreaming the "prostitute" or the "prostitute" dreaming the actress.

There is a lot going on in the movie, and I would love to watch it with subtitles. If you love watching creepy movies with some suspense, violence, and a guy in a creepy leather face mask thrown in near the end, don't let the synopsis of just being a human trafficking movie, or lack of subtitles and no understanding of Argintinian throw you off from watching it.

To SkyCowgirl

[whoyaaah · 8/10 · 13 June 2017]

You gave a pretty good review, but I'm not understanding why you didn't get the subtitles? I also need them but I automatically get them when I watch Netflix streaming. If I get DVD in the mail, I have to click on it, but unless the movie just was not made with them, I always get them. I would not have understood anything about this movie if I didn't have subtitles; I suggest you try again, try right clicking your mouse and see if it brings up the option... I don't understand why you don't get them. Very good little horror movie about human trafficking also, I would recommend it to watch if you are a fan of trafficking or horror, it has both.

All time Gruesome movie

[jeremy-hendricks14 · 10/10 · 31 December 2018]

One of the Best Foreign films. This is the most Gruesome movies i have ever watched in my life. Very Terrifying because this could be happening to women everyday. Who knows.

The female nightmare

[Elvis-Del-Valle · 9/10 · 5 January 2024]

Hipersomnia is another attempt by Argentine cinema to offer something out of its comfort zone. There are a couple of mistakes, some inconsistency, and the pace can get frenetic. It is not unusual in this attempt by Argentine cinema to approach genre cinema. In this case it can be said that in terms of plot and concept I manage to make something original and refreshing. It becomes a strange mix between Suspiria and Hostel that at first doesn't seem to make much sense, then it reaches a point where the protagonist doesn't know that she is real and that she is not. All of this resolves into something that for some will have been easy to guess, but for others it is an unexpected surprise. Another strong point for this film is the theme of prostitution, which is an experience of pure horror for women, but is still a fairly common clandestine business in Argentina. The film explores one of those real horrors that are part of the harsh reality about Argentina and achieves it with scenes that become gruesome and crude. It is not that it is disturbing, but it does manage to offer an atmosphere of horror. Hypersomnia is ultimately a morbid spectacle that serves as a horror film and social criticism. My final rating for this movie is a 9/10.