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[Tribeca Review] ‘You Shall Not Sleep’ Overcomes Its Flaws with Atmospheric Thrills

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From creepy insane asylums to experimental theater and even questionable pseudo-science about insomnia, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Argentinian director Gustavo Hernández (responsible for 2010’s scarily innovative The Silent House) is just picking random horror movie material out of a hat at this point. However, Hernández’s new film You Shall Not Sleep (No Dormirás) does a surprisingly effective job of meshing these ideas together into an entertaining, if occasionally inconsistent, psychological thriller.

You Shall Not Sleep stars Eva De Dominici as a promising actress named Bianca who’s selected to compete for the starring role in an experimental new stage play. Placed in an abandoned mental institution, Bianca and the other actors must prepare for their roles by staying awake for an unprecedented amount of time, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. With sleep deprivation taking its toll on her psyche, Bianca begins to suspect that there may be more to this sinister production than meets the eye.

Though the film actually takes place in the 80s, the period setting doesn’t add much to the story other than some superficial set dressing and fashion cues. Nevertheless, the foreboding atmosphere and genuinely chilling narrative make this an engaging mystery that rewards patient viewers, though it’s not without its flaws.

Unfortunately, the experience is somewhat marred down by some clumsy creative decisions (like a handful of lazy jump scares) and a script that needed further polishing. While the narrative mostly works, the second half of the film gets a little convoluted, but it never quite becomes too confusing to be entertaining. Hernández’s creative direction is partly responsible for this, as the film distracts the viewer from most of its narrative flaws with a plethora of compelling characters and memorable visuals.

Speaking of visuals, the cinematography is definitely one of the film’s strongest assets, providing a haunting backdrop for these characters to act and interact while still embracing the movie’s scares. The clever, if somewhat subdued, use of color also stands out even in the film’s darker moments, despite the forsaken setting.

The lead performances are also spectacular, with Dominici remaining a likable main character throughout the film, even avoiding some common horror protagonist pitfalls. However, Belén Rueda steals the show as the manipulative Alma Böhm, who’s organizing the mysterious play and preparing the actors for what’s to come. Ultimately, the competent cast also helps to make up for the flawed script, selling the illusion so earnestly that you can’t help but ignore many of the plot’s inconsistencies.

You Shall Not Sleep may not be a perfect horror experience, but it’s still definitely worth a watch. Hernández manages to weave a compelling tapestry with the film’s central mystery without losing sight of the human element that grounds the story, overcoming nearly all of its flaws. If you’re up for an atmospheric mix of psychological terror, supernatural thrills and the dramatic arts, this should undoubtedly be on your radar.

You Shall Not Sleep screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Born Brazilian, raised Canadian, Luiz is a writer and Film student that spends most of his time watching movies and subsequently complaining about them.

Movies

SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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