The Sleepwalker
Sundance Film Festival
Director: Mona Fastvold

You know there is an issue with a film when you realize nothing significant has happened after an hour and it’s only 92 minutes long. Such is the case with Mona Fastvold’s monotonous entry, “The Sleepwalker.” As Kaia (Gitte Witt) and Andrew (Christopher Abbott) work on remodeling her childhood home, they are unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of Kaia’s sister, Christine (Stephanie Ellis). Worried about the disappearance of his fiancée, Ira (Brady Corbet), arrives to the estate and the foursome spends the next few days bickering and belittling each other. The only remotely engaging elements are Christine’s odd sleepwalking habit and the set design, but it’s not nearly enough to salvage the production. Honestly, if it weren’t for the Red Bull I had before the screening, I would have sleepwalked right out the exit. The acting is mediocre, the score is obnoxiously chaotic and there is not one likeable character. This is the type of film I can’t believe was accepted when there are thousands of submissions every year. The thought of that is more interesting than anything in “The Sleepwalker.”

– Jimmy Martin

Screening Times:
Friday, Jan. 24 — 3:30 p.m. • Eccles Theatre, Park City
Saturday, Jan. 25 — 1:30 p.m. • Redstone Cinema 7, Park City