Beckett (Luke Kleintank) and Samuel Emerson (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) have a flair for the theatrical. Samuel has grown up with a love of Shakespeare like his father, Warren (Sebastian Roché) but he’s not the most reliable of men.
So, whilst Samuel performs in the street for a paying audience, Beckett goes behind their backs and robs them blind. Beckett also has bigger dreams and has hatched a plan with his friend, Larry (Jordan Dunn) but when Beckett gets closer to Larry’s mother (Rebecca Romijn), it stirs up more trouble than he could have imagined.
Sleep No More is a crime drama directed by Antonia Bogdanovich and co-written by Anne Heffron. With a clear love of Shakespeare, See No More is less gritty, realistic portrayal of two brothers trying to escape from under the poverty line, and more of a heightened drama.
The chemistry between Brodie Sangster and Kleintank is probably what drives the film. They make for somewhat believable brothers even though their paths are very different. Roché’s performance also seems to ring true, a former actor who lost it all and succumbed to addictions to overcome his faults.
However, whilst an increasingly exciting stirring pot of drama, the whole may not be as good as the sum of its parts. That’s because although Sleep No More has a relatively brisk run time, it feels like too many cooks have spoilt the broth. This means that by the end there may be a few too many threads that are left unsolved.
There could be an argument that Sleep No More is a slice of life drama and that may be how it starts. However, as the events in the Emerson brothers’ lives unfold, the things that happen become more hyperbolic and stretch the point of believability. There are some great performances, particularly from Brodie-Sangster, Roché and a cameo from Tobin Bell. However, it feels like Sleep No More wanted to be a grounded drama about a bond between brothers that was secretly overtaken by a plot from True Romance.
Whilst the story of Samuel and Beckett may be an engaging one, it feels like without any clear direction, Sleep No More pulls too many punches.
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