User reviews

Terrific premise for a movie that really delivers - sure the cliched horror movie scares run through much of the film but everything is performed in such an imaginative and inventive way that you are fascinated - engaged - and thoroughly frightened - Sleep has a great premise - two loving individuals have their world turned upside down by the husbands sleep walking - sleep walking that turns into a horror show as the film moves forward - is he having a psychotic break ? Is it really a sleep disorder ? Or is there something more sinister in the works? Who is the really crazy person here? Noone is safe as the movie progresseses..and while an overall simple movie it is powerful in its delivery - with characters that are very well developed - and two dogs that are essential to the overall plot - and a power drill - enough said - Lots of fun! Delivers the goods !!

A fine debut thriller from Jason Yu. It was shown in Cannes and was pretty well received by critics. Now, after finally seeing it, I'll be joining those who recommend it.

This is a playful exercise in subverting genre expectations. The premise uses horror tropes in interesting ways, without succumbing to overwrought melodrama or clichés. A lot can be said about its expert direction; Yu finely balances humor and horror, and the script mischievously makes you question whether what you're seeing is paranormal or psychological in nature. He is enormously helped by Lee Sun-kyun (a formidable actor at this point) and the always lovely Jang Yu-mi. Their couple has loads of chemistry that is utilized to great effect.

Also, the short-ish runtime of 94 minutes ensures no minute is wasted and no plot point unnecessarily protracted. A hearty recommendation if you like your thrillers twisted and adventurous.

Short review: Watching a film called 'Sleep' late at night seems like a challenging task. Luckily the film was so good that even watching characters drift off at that hour didn't make me too envious. I was really impressed with this film and what it managed to get out of the concept.

I loved that the film never felt safe. There was one scene involving a boiling pot. Now a lot of the time in most movies you wouldn't even consider the implication a possibility. Here though, it felt possible and I saw some hands go to mouths (mine included). This film is even made in such a crafty way that it is able to pull off and make exciting a PowerPoint presentation late in the film. Also the two lead actors turn in great performances that help elevate the film. This was a good one. 8.5/10.

Sleep has probably one of the best premises for a horror film that I've ever seen. The idea of the person sharing your bed doing strange and sometimes terrifying things in their sleep is almost a *primal* fear, something inherent to every and anyone who shares a bed with their partner: "What are they doing in their sleep? Am I safe with this person next to me?"

It's such a brilliant concept, that the movie almost writes itself. And that's the thing...this movie needs better writing. There's something missing from the narrative, undoubtedly there to keep the mystery and ambiguity the entire way through, but it feels like the script needed a bit more complexity. I wished the characters and their relationship was fleshed out, that we learned more about them and their dynamics, to help really generate discussion as to what's going on. I wish an unseen and unheard character didn't have such an impact on the narrative; someone who is only mentioned a couple of times and very briefly. The film also jumps forward in time at several points for no apparent reason...it raises more questions than answers and I get the sense that no one knew how to address some of these plot holes.

It's a shame, because there's so much about this movie that works. It's very scary at times, generating enormous tension that you can cut through with a knife. And there's a wonderful bait-n-switch where your perspective on what's going on is tested and it's a juicy prospect. The film also has a wicked sense of humour and that always helps with otherwise very dark subject matter.

The performances are also quite excellent; Jung Yu Min in particular carries a lot of this movie on her shoulders and she's absolutely EXCELLENT. I just felt like all the other characters weren't fleshed out enough for me to really connect with them. Korean horror is renowned for its character work, slow pace, and shocking twists. I wish this movie took its time more and did a bit more world building. At a scant 95 minutes, it certainly could've used another 15-20 minutes to do that, and it wouldn't have made the movie worse.

However, I can't pretend like this isn't a good time. The film is creepy, effective, and again, just has that killer premise that's inherently good. Is it perfect? No. Could it have been even better? I suspect so. But given this is Jason Yu's first film, it's not a bad debut at all.

This is the third Korean movie in a row i watch which i appreciated a lot. (COBWEB -2023- and TARGET -2023- the previous ones). And this is good news, i mean, i am a big fan of Korean cinema but i think it regressed a lot during the last years. If it's indeed on the rise, every moviegoer should be pleased.

SLEEP is somewhat mislabelled : This is not a comedy even though it seems at times that it doesn't take itself too seriously and there is -vaguely- a darkly comedic element. This is neither a typical horror movie. I would describe it as a psychological drama horror movie, intense and suspensful. It doesn't drag for a second, on the contrary, it grabs you by the throat from the start and it's a fun/intense ride all the way. A suspension of disbelief is fully required though, this is not the most convincing and realistic movie of the world, but it's a psychological drama horror movie, you shouldn't expect something like that either way.

Better acting performances than the average horror movie, and most important, you can't guess what is exactly happening. It could be this or that but you can't be sure, so i was very curious to see where it goes.

An entertaining and succesful movie of this genre.

This is a solid little Korean horror film, with a simple plot that's executed well. The acting from the two leads, Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun, is top-notch. Jung particularly is great as the wife.

Where the film falters is in its open-endedness. There's a death early in the film that's seemingly significant for a few minutes, then the characters seemingly forget about it, then it's brought up again later in the film. And later in the film a character disappears then comes back without any real explanation. It left me wondering if perhaps the editor mistakenly edited out the scene showing what occurred between the character going missing and then popping up again. It just was bizarre. But some may consider this inexplicability to be a strength that adds to the spookiness. That leads me to the next point.

The great thing about this film is that, just like the characters, we're unsure of what's really going on here until the end. Is the husband mentally ill? Does he have a sleep disorder? Is he a ghost? Is he possessed? Is he acting? The film does a good job sprinkling in different possibilities throughout the runtime.

There is no jump scare, but how 'Sleep' manipulates my fear, uncertainty, and anxiety is something else. It's a kind of horror that I can watch without getting too scared, but I cannot go to sleep, thinking about the whole movie over and over in my head. The situation in the movie might seem extreme, but sleep disorder, noise between floors, and postpartum depression are very much realistic social problems and very much modern problems as well. They are almost tangible, and you hear about them everyday. Three things combined in the movie, the ending is not that extreme anymore, and it's scarier because it can happen to me, too.

How the director uses lighting and composition makes the movie more intense. Before the wife is affected by husband's abnormal behavior during REM sleep, lighting is shed in front of her face. However, once she starts to lose control of her reasons and mental health, the lighting moves to the back of her head, increasing the eerie atmosphere and highlighting the sudden change.

I like Korean movies and tv shows, but this wasn't very good.

The story has a grain of a good idea, but it isn't developed very well and at times is laughably bad.

The acting is fine without being great, but the direction is mediocre and fails to bring any truly scary scenes.

The story starts off well and has an intriguing set up but it fails to deliver on the early promise. It doesn't build any tension and the ending is a bit of a dud. It's a shame because I think Korea has been making some great horror movies.

Train to Busan and The Wailing are Korean horror movies worth watching. I can't say the same for Sleep.

Had the pleasure of seeing the screening at Cannes FIlm Festival. It blends horror and comedy perfectly. This was definitely my top 3 films I saw at Cannes and even surpassed those with bigger and higher budgets. With anything new and Korean made I have to go see it. They truly are a talented nation with coming up with new and interesting ideas to keep a modern audience hooked. I would defiantly recommend seeing this when released. Lots of the audience were pleasantly surprised and the reactions were priceless. From story, to acting, to editing and sound. It was a deliciously well crafted film, one that will keep you (mind the pun) to not be able to 'Sleep.'

Giving this an 7/10 rating

Not much blood in this one, more of a slow build up and use of the environment, the two main characters, which are husband and wife in a new place, and then, stuff stars to happen, that really does effect them both

A good simple premise is done good, thanks, down to great acting and very good dialogue, effective soul design, and good writing and directing for Jason Yu.

The trio of Kim Gook Hee, Yoon Kyung-ho and Lee Sun-kyun, pull off good work, and have to make work of the limited setting of home, and the other settings. The limitations are the driving force and are used with much thought. And this film proves that ou can do a horror, with out loads of blood and make it interesting. Sleep can be dangerous, and this film shows us the effects of it.

Sleep come with some pretty good credentials and i was looking forward to checking it out. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations as i found it lacking in story development and unable to create the desired levels of tension one could reasonably expect from a film of this type. The performances were fine but there were quite a few gaps in the story with too little character development taking place. Also, there were too many examples of the characters playing either very passively or unwittingly to the point of losing credibility. The end of the film was not able to create anywhere near the drama I could tell everyone was going for and it felt a it forced. Sleep isn't all but still a bit disappointing.

I will agree with other reviews in terms of the solid acting.

I think this is one of the movie's strongest points, if it wasn't for this I'd probably rate it a bit lower.

The story doesn't go too far in imagination and it's quite predictible, but it's definitely interesting enough to keep the mystery going for the first half at least, and then to see how everything resolves.

The cinematography has a few good moments but nothing very special.

There's some comedy bits here and there, specially in the first half, but they don't set a tone for the whole movie, so don't expect a full dark comedy movie. In fact, as a whole, it's quite dark and creepy.

Again, big applause to the casting, even the secondary characters were solid.

Decent film.

The movie has a very interesting premise on the impact of sleep patterns on an individual. The acting is very good and I found my interest stayed till the end, didnt find it lagging anywhere like some of reviewers said.

Its a very simple story of a couple battling the issue of the husband sleep walking and how it gets bigger and bigger after they have a baby. The couple loves each other which is one reason the marriage survives despite what transpires to each of them.

You cannot classify the movie as horror though it has scary elements but its more of a psychological thriller.

Its really sad to watch Lee Sun-kyun . How one wishes he had not taken such a drastic step!

Jam (or Sleep for the English title) is another good movie from South-Korea. Definitely one of my favourite countries when it's about movies. Writer/director Jason Yu made an easy to follow and entertaining movie. Categorized on here as a comedy horror mystery thriller. You can remove comedy and horror as it was neither of those two. Mysterious it was for sure, thrilling as well. Good suspense keeps you focussed all the time. The small cast, only four different actors, were very believable in their roles. The proof you don't need a big cast or a big budget to make a decent movie. Worth a watch.

Here's one of the top candidates for the yearly "soon to be remade by Hollywood" foreign film that is darkly comic/straight up freaky horror that is South Korean film Sleep.

The debut film of director Jason Yu, who here announces himself as a director to watch after some assistant directional duties on hit Netflix offering Okja, Sleep is a unique blend of lots of different elements that eventuate into a very unpredictable film, that while rough around the edges in parts, combine into an engaging film that gets better as it goes.

Following the lives of Jung Yu-mi's Soo-jin and Lee Sun-kyun's Hyun-su, a happy couple who start to find their cosy lives interrupted by Hyun-su's unusual sleep habits that begin to exhibit increasingly odd and dangerous incidents, Sleep at first appears to be a relatively straightforward experience but as is usually the case with the top-class of Korean cinema, nothing in Sleep is really as it seems as it delves further and further into some loaded territories.

Neatly paced out across a brisk and baggage free 90 minute running time, Yu wastes little of his screen-time on unnecessary elements as his film is divided into three fairly distinct chapters that offer up a lesson in tonal shifts and narrative pivots that many Hollywood films could take lessons from as we are constantly left wondering as to exactly where the bizarre experiences of Soo-jin and Hyun-su are going to take us.

Well performed by its leading duo, who are tasked with carrying much of Sleep's runtime on their shoulders, Sleep may not ever achieve the scaling of grand heights that other Korean films like The Handmaiden, Parasite, Train to Busan or I Saw the Devil achieved in their various ways but there's no doubt that many will find great joy in being able to partake in another fine example of foreign filmmaking that shows the Hollywood creative forces how things can be done, often on budgets equivalent to catering allotments in big studio productions.

Culminating with one of the most unexpected and entertaining final acts you're likely to see this year, Sleep is a an experience best enjoyed before the remake comes along and squanders what was an already solid all-round package.

Final Say -

Earmarking debut director Jason Yu as a talent to watch, Sleep may not be an instant classic but this wild genre mashing ride provides a plethora of enjoyable elements that should ensure a worthwhile viewing experience for all those that seek it out.

3 1/2 frozen pupsicles out of 5

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Sleep isn't a masterpiece but it's a pretty good debut from Jason Yu with strong directing, interesting writing and great performances from the cast members. Yu's direction and writing does a pretty good job on balancing out the tones of comedy and horror and creating a good sense of tense and terrifying atmospheres surrounding the setting and characters. The main premise is definitely very interesting as I don't see many movies focus on horror elements regarding sleepwalking or so forth. The narrative, while does have some faults and could have explored certain aspects a little more, is solid with good dialogue and executions being satisfying.

All of the performances are really good as each of the cast members does a good job on performing their characters. The soundtrack, production sets and the dialogue is pretty good too. While some depth in the characters could have been explored a bit, I found the characters to be entertaining to observe. There are some moments that were well-executed, especially a scene regarding PowerPoint's that was really entertaining. On the structure, the movie is a slow-burn but not once the movie felt slow or dull.

Overall, I am impressed with Jason Yu's first feature. No doubt there are some flaws but Yu's talent is pretty impressive enough to not overshadow the entire movie. I look forward to see what Jason Yu can offer in the future with his talents.

The expecting "Min Jeong" (Kim Gook Hee) is getting a little concerned when her actor husband "Hyun-su" (Yoon Kyung-ho) wakes up one morning having badly scratched his face in his sleep. He just puts it down to nerves but some peculiar midnight snacking habits coupled with some rather perilous somnambulist activity now ensue making a visit to the doctor (Soon Kyung-ho) inevitable. After a bit of monitoring, he discovers that his REM sleep pattern is all over the place so some medication is prescribed and that ought to be that. Except, things actually become more bizarre - especially if you are their yapping dog. When a new neighbour (Jung Yu-mi) moves in downstairs and it turns to that she happens to be the daughter of the flat's previous occupant with whom our couple didn't get on, things start to become quite engagingly sinister with both starting to wonder if they are simply going mad or is there something more supernatural going on? At times this is quite enjoyably surreal, with Kim Gook Hee and Lee Sun-kyun gelling well as the story quirkily develops with some dark humour peppering the plot and I did really quite like the last ten minutes - daft as they were. Given the generally predictable and dull direction taken by so much of the light-horror genre recently, this offers a different take on a theme that packs quite a lot of fun, mysticism and daftness into ninety minutes. No, it's not remotely scary and maybe you ought make sure you keep your rechargeable tools under firm lock and key!

From the beginning to end, there were an enormous amount of plot holes and missed opportunities. Lots of the characters' decisions were of the eye-rolling variety such as in the 1980s slasher movies where everyone decides to split up (instead of sticking together) in order to find a serial killing maniac. The same sort of knuckle-headed logic dogged the exposition of this movie. Character development is almost non-existent to the extent that by the finale you don't care who comes out dead or alive. Granted, it has a nice look and good pace but when the story fails to generate enough suspension of belief to make it engaging, there's not enough left to enjoy.

Sleep: A south Korean horror film about sleep disorders, though it is implicit from the outset that something more sinister may be involved. Hyeon-soo (Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) are a couple, she is heavily pregnant. One night, she discovers Hyeon-soo sitting up and uttering strange phrases in his sleep, there is also evidence that he has been sleepwalking. His sleepwalking continues ad his behaviour becomes even more strange, sleep eating, and badly scratching his face. Their dog pepper is scared of sleeping Hyeon-soo's antics. Things take a far worse turn and they seek medical help, also attempting to make their apartment accident proof. Soo-jin's mother wishes to bring in a Shaman to exorcise Hyeon-soo and admittedly there is evidence pointing to possession. A dark film leavened at times by humour but you will find several scenes extremely disturbing with extreme violence but much worse is suggested, The antics of the Shaman are a tad funny but she also carries out actual rituals, pointing out the need to identify a ghost before they can be dispatched. . Most of the horror is psychological in nature in Sleep though, the hearing of knocking, the sense of dread, Soo-jin's fears for her child's safety. Some interesting Korean ghost and possession lore is explored. Convincing acting from Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun in his final role, he died tragically after the film was completed. Written and Directed by Jason Yu. 8/10.

Jason Yu's debut with his first film is truly satisfying, offering us an interesting and addictive suspense that overflows with tension with the intelligence of Korean cinema.

With a small cast where the main couple Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-Kyun steal the show, they manage to captivate with the true suffering that the situation that surrounds them brings and that their director knows how to handle in a balanced way between terror, suspense and touches of humor that lead us to have a truly effective film throughout its entire journey.

The greatest virtue of its script is knowing how to use the mix between the language of terror with a moving story of domestic life and the difficulties of marriage, and it does so with all that touch of a brilliant staging by its director and a BSO that sticks like the best companion so that everything fits together perfectly both visually, aesthetically and sound-wise.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the film is not perfect, as we find a final part that is a little more abrupt than all of his initial work, but it does not prevent us from pleasantly enjoying what we are seeing.

An interesting bet that brings us a gratifying debut from a director worth taking into account, and that provides us with a fun Korean horror thriller that works with intelligence and simplicity at the same time.

In South Koreans 2023 horror movie sleep a young woman is startled by her husband's unsettling behavior during his sleep. He starts rocking around eating raw meat from the fridge and even tries to jump out of the window but as soon as she wakes them up he doesn't remember a thing. At some point the woman gets pregnant and she starts to get really worried that her husband is going to harm her little daughter. The movie puts the viewer in front of a difficult decision because on one hand you follow the wife who is understandably worried and you can and courage her decisions to a certain point but on the other hand you feel bad for the husband who is not aware of his cruel behavior when he is sleepwalking. The performance is by both lead actors are solid even though it is hard to rate them based on the foreign language, but their physical acting was good and the characters were believable. This story was interesting and unique but still didn't manage to entertain me for the 94 minutes run time. I like South Korean cinema and I was looking forward to this movie but in all honesty I was pretty bored at times. Overall I would say this is an interesting topic and this movie would definitely have its fans but for me it was just a decent watch. [5,4/10]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I'm a very light sleeper, so I can't relate to sleepwalking and problems that occur during deep sleep really, but this one really pulled me in and had some genuinely creepy moments. If you're a dog lover like me just a heads up that there are a couple scenes that may be triggering.

From what I understand this is Jason Yu's debut film and in my opinion that's very impressive. I hope to see more movies from him in the future. If you're a horror fan I highly recommend this one and that you do what I did and watch it at night as there are a lot of dimly lit scenes. This is a 8.5/10 to me.