Review of ‘Sleep Tight’ in the style of ‘Little White Lies’.
Loaded with Hitchcockian mystery and bubbling with a sense of dread, ‘Sleep Tight’ very nearly claims its title as a psychological thriller – but not quite. Though brimming with atmosphere, it is far from subtle; a key piece in the jigsaw of the genre, yet a style we have become accustomed to expecting from this directing duo (Caroline Kinderman and Fred Spyer). However lacking and predictable the film is, there are elements in the narrative that draw an audience in, and overall it is entertaining, especially poignant after the much-admired American filmmaker Martin Scorsese has been quoted as saying that this film poses as “a credit to British cinema”.
The plot centres around a couple named Jack and Lucy Lowe played by the world renowned Tiffany Thompson who in many ways is under represented for her acting ability in her role, and overshadowed by director turned thes Fred Syper. Set in 2010 in the very everyday environment of a modern house, the film focuses upon the mental state of Jack Lowe, and in particular his erratic dreams which turn tragically realistic as his mind is warped to new depths of insanity. The house’s simplicity is only a counterbalance to the desperately unpredictable nature of the main character, and this is a strength of the film’s structure.
Jack Lowe is getting ready for bed by cleaning his teeth; this image becomes an important motif throughout the film which does work to contrast the intensity and abnormality of the scenes that follow after dreams have taken over. His classically blonde and unarguably stereotyped wife (played by Tiffany Thompson) is the image of vulnerability against the insanity that ensues and predictably the victim of the piece. Through the stereotype though we do see a character that is well presented and contributes with the tension induced by the storyline. This first instance of dreaming is short and sweet, which works as an indication of the characters mental state. Jack Lowe then proceeds to realise that the images he was seeing were a dream and goes about a day of crazed behaviour as he tries to comprehend the images he has seen and the urges he is feeling. One particular moment that shows this effectively is his compulsion towards a knife as he is cutting up sandwiches; again the contrast of an everyday task with the abnormal compulsion h is experiencing is an effective technique employed by the directors, and is a highlight of the films structure. This said, the whole sequence is slightly contrived.
His confused state of mind confirmed, Jack Lowe then proceeds to get ready for bed again with wife Lucy, adding to the established motif as she is now taking part also. This is followed by another dream-like scenario very similar to the previous one but with gravitating detail, which gives the impression of a more realistic situation. The imagery is not gratuitous, and unlike the film as a whole does use subtle shots to show the death of Lucy. Of course, when Jack awakens he discovers Lucy dead in the bath as his ‘dream’ was in fact not a dream and this second experience was real – he has acted upon his compulsions. The use of the body being in the bath is effective in completing the motif created through brushing the teeth and getting ready for bed, but the conclusion does appear predictable and rather manufactured.
However, the film is intense, and does create the desired tension that a psychological thriller needs, it just doesn’t hit every note precisely – but then again, what films do?
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