One of the best South Korean thrillers in years is finally getting released in the United States. Jason Yu’s Sleep, a taut, twisted thriller starring the late Lee Sun-kyun and Jung Yu-mi will be released theatrically courtesy of Magnet Releasing on September 27. Trust me when I say it’s one of the most disturbing, engaging theatrical experiences you’ll have this year. Check out the official English-subbed trailer and synopsis for Sleep below:
Per Magnet Releasing: Sleep follows newlyweds Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun, Parasite) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), whose domestic bliss is disrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep, ominously stating, “Someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, Hyun-su transforms into someone else, with no recollection of what happened the night before. Overwhelmed with anxiety that he may hurt himself or their young family, Soo-jin can barely sleep because of this irrational fear. Despite treatment, Hyun-su’s sleepwalking only intensifies, and Soo-jin begins to feel that her unborn child may be in danger.
In Josh Korngut’s four-star review of Sleep from last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, he wrote, “All in all, Sleep is a confident, contained, and character-driven debut from a filmmaker who shows a ton of promise. This is a quiet film that might end up flying beneath the radar, but on close inspection, it’s fun, frightening, and downright bizarre. It’s definitely worth a watch for horror fans.”
I had the privilege of seeing it earlier this year theatrically, and it will undoubtedly be breaking my Top 10 for the year.
Additionally, Sleep is sitting at a remarkable 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics and audiences have been loving it. In South Korea where Sleep was released in September of last year, the film grossed the equivalent of $10 million. Whether it will match that level of success here remains to be seen, but trust me when I say Sleep is going to wow you when it releases.
Online, plenty of critics have already taken to sharing their thoughts as Sleep has been rolled out in various festivals around the world. It’s so good, I can barely contain myself. Check out some choice social reactions toward the film below:
What do you think? Do you have any plans to check out Sleep when it releases in theaters? If you do, be certain to let me know what you thought over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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