Sleep (2023 film)

Sleep (Korean: 잠; RR: jam) is a 2023 South Korean black comedy horror mystery thriller[3][4][5] film written and directed by Jason Yu, in his feature debut. The film stars Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun. It screened in the Critics' Week section at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2023. It was released in South Korea on 6 September 2023.

Sleep
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
잠
Directed byJason Yu
Written byJason Yu[1]
Produced byLewis Tae-wan Kim[1]
Starring
CinematographyTae-soo Kim[1]
Edited byMee-yeon Han[1]
Music by
  • Hyuk-jin Chang[1]
  • Yong-jin Chang[1]
Production
company
Lewis Pictures[1]
Distributed byLotte Entertainment
Release dates
  • 21 May 2023 (2023-05-21) (Cannes)
  • 6 September 2023 (2023-09-06) (South Korea)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$10.3 million[2]

Synopsis

Hyeon-soo and Soo-jin are newlyweds. One night, she discovers Hyeon-soo sleepwalking, with a strange behavior that is not like him. Every time night falls, she becomes restless, for fear that her husband will harm their newborn.

Cast

Production

Development

In October 2021, actors Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun confirmed their casting as married couple Soo-jin and Hyeon-soo in a horror film written and directed by Jason Yu, and produced by Lewis Pictures.[7]

Regarding the story, before turning it into a nightmare, Jason Yu was inspired by the moments when he was preparing to marry his girlfriend of seven years: "In writing, my goal was, initially, of course, to make a fun genre film. But, since my subject at the time was marriage, I also wanted to talk about married life." Yu explained: "At first, I was superficially curious about sleepwalking. Then, I wondered what the daily life would look like for a loved one who has to stay by the side of a sleepwalker."[8][9]

During pre-production, Bong Joon-ho showed appreciation Jason Yu's work. Yu had previously worked as Bong's assistant director during the production of his film Okja (2017). Bong strongly recommended Lee Sun-kyun to play the role of the husband, Hyeon-soo. In an interview after the film's premiere, Yu confessed, "While filming Sleep, I found myself, unconsciously and consciously, trying to imitate the image I had seen in Bong's Okja".[8]

Filming

Principal photography concluded on 12 April 2022.[10][11]

Release

On 17 April 2023, Sleep was selected to be screened in the Critics' Week section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival[12][13] where it had its world premiere on 21 May 2023.[14] The screening took place at Espace Miramar, in the presence of Jason Yu, Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun.[15]

Distribution rights to the film were acquired by Lotte Entertainment,[16] who released it in South Korea on 6 September 2023.[17]

Reception

Box office

As of October 9, 2023, the film has grossed US$10,255,371 at the local box office and accumulated 1,465,672 admissions.[2]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[19]

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Marilou Duponchel of Trois couleurs called it "a perfection of genre film where laughter and dread mingle. A profound and subtle reflection on married life".[20] Jean-Baptiste Morain of Les Inrockuptibles called it "a very successful first feature film, somewhere between horror and comedy".[21] Luc Chessel of Libération wrote, "Jason Yu distills a skilful atmosphere of anxiety".[22]

Director Bong Joon-ho lauded the film as "the most unique horror film and the smartest debut film I've seen in 10 years".[4][23]

Awards and nominations
Awards and nominations for Sleep
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 25 May 2023 Critics' Week Grand Prix Jason Yu Nominated
27 May 2023 Caméra d'Or Nominated [1]

References
  1. "Sleep 잠 / Jam". Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2023". KOFIC. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. Keslassy, Elsa (17 April 2023). "Cannes Critics' Week Unveils Lineup of 62nd Edition". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  4. Noh, Jean (21 May 2023). "Jason Yu talks Critics' Week title 'Sleep', praised by Palme d'Or and Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho". Screen International. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  5. Haddad, Yohan (17 April 2023). "La Semaine de la Critique 2023 dévoile sa sélection". Première (in French). Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  6. Lee Ho-young (23 August 2023). "'무빙'→'잠' 김국희, 정유미X이선균과 호흡" (in Korean). MBC Entertainment. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  7. Jeon, Hwa-aoi (13 October 2021). "[단독]정유미·이선균, 공포 스릴러 '잠' 호흡..일상 무너뜨리는 공포 [종합]". starnewskorea.com (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023..
  8. Oh, Bo-ram (22 May 2023). "'잠' 유재선 감독 "데뷔작 칸에 초청돼 배터질 만큼 행복"". yna.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  9. Koh, Seung-ah (22 May 2023). "'잠' 유재선 감독 "데뷔작 칸 초청 벅차…봉준호 '즐기고 오라'고" [칸 현장]". news.nate.com (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  10. Choi, Young-ju (19 April 2022). "정유미X이선균 주연 '잠' 크랭크업…"두 배우와 함께해 영광"". nocutnews.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  11. Hong, Jang-seong (19 April 2022). "정유미, 이선균 <잠> 4월 12일 크랭크업!". movietok.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  12. "Festival de Cannes 2023 : découvrez la sélection de la Semaine de la critique". Trois Couleurs (in French). 17 April 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  13. Kim, Ji-hye (17 April 2023). "봉준호도 반했다…정유미X이선균 '잠', 칸영화제 비평가주간 초청". sbs.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023..
  14. mraultpauillac (10 May 2023). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. Jeong, Yoo-jin (21 May 2023). "유재선-정유미-이선균, 영화 '잠'으로 칸영화제 나란히[포토엔HD]". m.newsen.com (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  16. Noh, Jean (31 January 2023). "Lotte gets 'Sleep', with 'Parasite' star Lee Sun-kyun, ahead of EFM (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  17. 김보영. "정유미·이선균 '잠' 9월 6일 개봉…칸 이어 시체스영화제 초청 쾌거". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  18. "Sleep". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  19. "Sleep". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  20. Duponchel, Marilou (21 May 2023). "Cannes 2023 — « Sleep » de Jason Yu : chambre froide". Trois couleurs. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  21. Morain, Jean-Baptiste (22 May 2023). "[Cannes 2023] : "Sleep" de Jason Yu : un premier long-métrage, entre film d'horreur et comédie, fort réussi". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  22. Chessel, Luc (23 May 2023). "Festival de Cannes : Sleep, flip en famille". Libération (in French). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  23. Ahn, So-yoon (18 April 2023). "[공식] 정유미X이선균 '잠', 칸영화제 비평가주간 초청…봉준호 감독도 극찬". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
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