It's a little hard to sit through because it's supposed to be. Stilted editing, a sparse sound track, dreamy plot, prescription drug abuse, creepy and heavy-handed symbols keep the viewer in an uncomfortable place right through to the end, when wonderfully horrible scenes finally and completely rip open the fabric of what was the film's debatable reality.
Chasing Sleep adds star power and production value to the style of film making Walker introduced with his 1995 indie short film, "Pie Eater" which ended with a shagged-out diabetic fat lady making love to a pie headed man in a tuxedo (no joke).
Kafka-esque with a sick sense of humor, "Chasing Sleep" is a pretty admirable freshman feature from Walker. Jeff Daniels is excellent as an unshaven English professor losing touch with reality. Emily Bergl offers some decent acting and skin.
All in all, pleasantly disconcerting. I'd sit through more if I had the chance.
Chasing Sleep adds star power and production value to the style of film making Walker introduced with his 1995 indie short film, "Pie Eater" which ended with a shagged-out diabetic fat lady making love to a pie headed man in a tuxedo (no joke).
Kafka-esque with a sick sense of humor, "Chasing Sleep" is a pretty admirable freshman feature from Walker. Jeff Daniels is excellent as an unshaven English professor losing touch with reality. Emily Bergl offers some decent acting and skin.
All in all, pleasantly disconcerting. I'd sit through more if I had the chance.