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)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)
I absolutely didn’t get what the receptionist was doing in that apartment building. It looked like the Spanish were coming up with useless jobs just to reduce their brutal unemployment rate. So the main character seemed completely useless to me and I would have done without him. But on the other hand, there would be no exciting thriller without this character. It is not a horror movie but it is very intense. I liked the fact that the film kept me interested and tense and Marta Etura made it even better with her beauty. The only thing I don’t understand is how the receptionist could get away with all of it. He seemed like a perfectionist but in the end he showed sore real amateurism. A crumbling house of cards is nothing compared to what was happening here.
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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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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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It's an amusing pun in which I didn't really buy the truncated psychology, and I chuckled a few times at the rather simplistic cause-and-effect relationships (be it the actual process of putting the antagonist to sleep or the overall inability to make any kind of impact), but as a cynical take on Psycho, it's great. The motives and relationships between the characters are well fleshed out, and the finale is every bit as disturbing and entertaining as it should be, given its course. And when it gets heated and Balagueró tunes the horror note, it works quite naturally and intensely. 75 %
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"'As You Sleep' is an example of how it was still possible to make a truly terrifying horror film even in recent years, without using any fantastical elements, but rather relying on a deranged individual who sends chills down your spine. The film is excellently executed both in terms of acting and directing, and definitely ranks among the very best in the horror genre to have ever been made. You won't easily forget such an experience."
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