The Sleeping Soul begins with an excruciatingly long intro containing the same piano notes playing while a couple consoles each other at a grave. The woman pregnant and the man clearly the more upset of the two, they leave the cemetery just as painfully slow (we do get some drums) and day becomes night – and not in that sped-up film sense – by the time we’re finally on a paved road.
And right when you’d think we’re onto something, the couple drives along a stretch of road while another driver drinks and smokes on the other side. And eventually intoxicated driver crashes head on into the couples car. And only then do we finally get a title card.
While single piano notes strung together is charming in a John Carpenter film, here it is just emphasizes exactly what this 45 minute movie is.
Agonizingly ****ing slow.
Every shot in The Sleeping Soul appears deliberate. Oddly angled to appear artistic. There are so many that is becomes questionable as to why they are the way they are. Why do we need to be inside the computer monitor looking out? Why do we need to be inside the fridge when someone opens it and looks in (though that did once make for a killer Parker Lewis Can’t Lose opening)? Why do we need to be lying on a countertop looking at what is on said countertop?
Getting passed the production, there is not much left to hold onto in this film. The story is a hodge-podge of Paranormal Activity and The Sixth Sense – but The Sixth Sense after everyone had seen it and copied the ending twist. The film relies on the sole acting of Ayse Howard as Grace. Watching Howard’s performance is intriguing. The art of pretending you are a different person. That you are pretending to do things this person would do. The art of pretending you are typing on a computer, perhaps. Howard shows that some people are harshly challenged by such a feat.
The Sleeping Soul is more a student acting class submission video than a movie. It did leave me with a hard pressing question thought. How do airbags not deploy in a head on collision?
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