Directed by:
Jaume BalagueróScreenplay:
Alberto MariniCinematography:
Pablo RossoComposer:
Lucas VidalCast:
Luis Tosar, Marta Etura, Alberto San Juan, Iris Almeida, Pep Tosar, Petra Martínez, Margarita Roset, Oriol Genís, Carlos Lasarte, Manel Dueso, Xavier Pujolràs (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
Spanish psychological horror from director Jaume Balagueró. The film follows César (Luis Tosar), the concierge to the residents at a wealthy apartment building. César seems extraordinarily helpful and polite and is consequently adored by the residents, but little do they know that he is in fact a man so incapable of happiness and human feeling that he makes it his goal in life to make others as miserable as he is. He focuses much of his attention on Clara (Marta Etura), a beautiful young woman whose vivacity and spontaneous sense of happiness make her his opposite in almost every way. With his usual blend of underhand tricks, which include sneaking into her apartment to rig unpleasant surprises and even hiding beneath her bed, César begins to unnerve Clara. When her boyfriend Marcos (Alberto San Juan) unexpectedly returns the situation quickly escalates towards a point of no return. (Metrodome Distribution)
(more)Reviews (8)
Whatever you expect from this, it will still get to you because this quirky genre film perfectly suits Balagueró. Whether it's due to the main character, who is actually likable, or the light-hearted narrative, which has some gentle black humor, through the excellent cast of tenants (the little girl rules, and especially the porn scene!), to the uncompromising finale, where the director doesn't deny what once "made" him. After all this, I'll mostly console myself with the fact that I'm too ugly a guy to be singled out for strange courtesy visits. :) 4 ½.
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Luis Tosar is a Spanish Norman Bates. This paranoid and voyeuristic, psychologically tense and cynical film roots for the
deviant villain rather than for his victim. Praise goes to its uncompromising creator, who does not spare the audience
and instead of seeking their favor, throws them in icy water.
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To be honest, I prefer when Balageró sticks to supernatural horror (and I don’t mean only REC, but also Fragile and Darkness), but this detour into the waters of thrillers was very successful. Sleep Tight stands on the portrayal of the protagonist – Luis Tosar is magnificent as the unhappy caretaker César. The tension is effective, the humour is incredibly dark, and, though the more genre savvy viewers will experience déjà vu (there’s been a couple of more or less similar home obsessions in the last few years), you should not feel that Balagueró is wasting his talent. Whatever… I can’t wait until [REC] Apocalypse.
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Well, that was quite perverted! Of course, I can't say I was not excited to see how it would all turn out... I was quite a fan of the somewhat peculiar janitor, but as the end approached, my sympathy for him dwindled somewhat. However, I definitely didn't get bored while watching the film, so the 4 stars I’m giving it are well deserved.
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Do you believe that love is the most powerful emotion? Caesar would disagree. The driving force behind his actions is something radically different. Opposite emotions give him the strength to navigate through life, and he is willing to go further and take more risks to invoke them. It's not really a horror and it's not even a "serious" psychological drama about a pathological individual, and it's more of a mischievous thriller, which also includes elements of cynical humor, about a man who has decided to play with his surroundings and not burden himself with limiting morals. It's narrated from the manipulator's perspective, so the viewer is tempted to align with him for a certain period of time. I can't shake the feeling that the film would benefit from more restraint and wouldn't lose any of its impact if the results of Caesar's cruel games included scenes like settling scores with a pet caretaker, where it's understood that words can be deadly. Even in this form, the film doesn't lose its malicious allure, mainly thanks to the presence of Luis Tosar, who confirms that negative roles are more rewarding for actors. However, it is worth noting that there are flaws in the screenplay, and the film would have benefited if the screenwriter had played with it a bit more. Overall impression: 70%.
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