SLEEPWALKING (2008) **1/2 Nick Stahl, Anna Sophia Robb, Charlize Theron, Dennis Hopper, Woody Harrelson, Mathew St. Patrick, Deborra-Lee Furness, Callum Keith Rennie, Amy Matysio.
Echoes of '70s Era Road-trip Soul Searching The golden age of the'70s film-making is alive and well in this indie that echoes Ashby and Mallick.
Joleen (Theron, who also produced) is a down-on-her luck type who is going nowhere fast. Her beauty has faded in broken promises, loveless life, and addictions too many to mention and neglecting that will haunt her forever.
Namely her single-parenting duty to her pre-teen daughter, Tara (Robb), who is understandably loathing her for the fact that there lives are in constant limbo with Joleen shacking up with one dead-beat loser after another until if finally catches up with her and them, costing Joleen no alternative (apparently) then to enlist her ne'er-do-well kid brother James (Stahl), who has problems of his own, namely keeping a steady paycheck.
One day Joleen's current beau is busted for growing pot in their home and while she haphazardly abandons him with Tara in tow they plunk down with James in his sparse, blighted home. Tara's resentment is only kindling for things get progressively worse as Joleen steals away in the middle of the night leaving her beat-up cruiser for them to use.
With no word on where his sister has skedaddled to James has no choice but to keep his niece under his care but he can scarcely handle the chores of daily challenges for himself.
When James is fired from his construction gig, loses his home and has nowhere to go, Tara is forced into foster care by the authority of the local law enforcer (St. Patrick), who is looking for Joleen as well.
James shacks up briefly with his only friend (Harrelson) until he visits Tara at her current housing that proves to be problematic in that she is cruelly treated. Prompting a decision to leave, James takes Tara in Joleen's beater and drives south to his estranged, abusive father's (Hopper) hoping for some help and maybe closure to his tortured life.
Novice filmmaker Bill Maher's pacing is a bit lugubrious but maybe that's intentional for it's title to reflect however the performances are first-rate overall. Theron's smallish role proves her Oscar win was no fluke and her deglam take of a woman on the fringe is poignant as well as Stahl's almost mute turn as a whipped man far too early in life to give up hope. Robb continues to be a rising young actress and Hopper's menacing paterfamilias makes another effort to his rogue's gallery of villains.
The cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchia is bleak yet beautiful and the screenplay by Zac Stanford, while meager, still manages to make the characters' plight heartfelt if too familiar.
Overall not a bad effort but wanting a little more reflects the film's message: it isn't bad to do so.
Echoes of '70s Era Road-trip Soul Searching The golden age of the'70s film-making is alive and well in this indie that echoes Ashby and Mallick.
Joleen (Theron, who also produced) is a down-on-her luck type who is going nowhere fast. Her beauty has faded in broken promises, loveless life, and addictions too many to mention and neglecting that will haunt her forever.
Namely her single-parenting duty to her pre-teen daughter, Tara (Robb), who is understandably loathing her for the fact that there lives are in constant limbo with Joleen shacking up with one dead-beat loser after another until if finally catches up with her and them, costing Joleen no alternative (apparently) then to enlist her ne'er-do-well kid brother James (Stahl), who has problems of his own, namely keeping a steady paycheck.
One day Joleen's current beau is busted for growing pot in their home and while she haphazardly abandons him with Tara in tow they plunk down with James in his sparse, blighted home. Tara's resentment is only kindling for things get progressively worse as Joleen steals away in the middle of the night leaving her beat-up cruiser for them to use.
With no word on where his sister has skedaddled to James has no choice but to keep his niece under his care but he can scarcely handle the chores of daily challenges for himself.
When James is fired from his construction gig, loses his home and has nowhere to go, Tara is forced into foster care by the authority of the local law enforcer (St. Patrick), who is looking for Joleen as well.
James shacks up briefly with his only friend (Harrelson) until he visits Tara at her current housing that proves to be problematic in that she is cruelly treated. Prompting a decision to leave, James takes Tara in Joleen's beater and drives south to his estranged, abusive father's (Hopper) hoping for some help and maybe closure to his tortured life.
Novice filmmaker Bill Maher's pacing is a bit lugubrious but maybe that's intentional for it's title to reflect however the performances are first-rate overall. Theron's smallish role proves her Oscar win was no fluke and her deglam take of a woman on the fringe is poignant as well as Stahl's almost mute turn as a whipped man far too early in life to give up hope. Robb continues to be a rising young actress and Hopper's menacing paterfamilias makes another effort to his rogue's gallery of villains.
The cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchia is bleak yet beautiful and the screenplay by Zac Stanford, while meager, still manages to make the characters' plight heartfelt if too familiar.
Overall not a bad effort but wanting a little more reflects the film's message: it isn't bad to do so.