Somnium review
Another Hollywood Dream threatens to turn into a real nightmare.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Somnium
Directed by Rachael Cain
Written by Rachael Cain
Starring Chloë Levine, Peter Vack, Will Peltz, Johnathon Schaech, Grace Van Dien, Gillian White and Draya Michele
Somnium Review
The Hollywood dream is fertile territory for genre films. It’s an abstract concept where darkness fills every corner. The Substance (last year’s Best Picture on ScareValue.com) showed us the horrors of “aging out” of the Hollywood system. MaXXXine dealt with the other side of it…the pains of breaking in. Starry Eyes did it better a decade earlier. David Lynch’s masterpiece Mulholland Drive dove into…everything else? Depending on how you read the movie…it could be anything as long as it involves a dream turned into a nightmare. Somnium addressed the Hollywood Dream concept from the point of view of someone desperate to break in. It’s also better than MaXXXine.
Gemma (Chloë Levine, The Sacrifice Game) is a classic girl next door Hollywood hopeful. Convinced she has what it takes and willing to endure the struggle while she finds out. Luckily…Gemma quickly finds a job that allows her to keep her days free for auditions. Unluckily…that job is at a shady dream clinic that beams images into the heads of their test subjects. With a setup like that…it won’t be long until strange things start to happen.
The story of Somnium spends a seemingly equal amount of time dealing with the sleep clinic, Gemma’s struggle to make Hollywood inroads and flashbacks to her life before choosing to chase that dream. It allows a full picture to be painted of Gemma. Combined with Levine’s excellent portrayal it gives Somnium a well-crafted lead character to center everything around. The flashbacks deal with a former relationship. The Hollywood dream shows us dashed hopes and setbacks. The sleep center…well…that’s a different story.
Gemma’s job isn’t more complicated than watching over patients as they sleep. They don’t go anywhere or do anything; she quickly points out when her hours conflict with an opportunity to network at a party in the Hollywood Hills. But that doesn’t mean that nothing ever happens. After getting a brief overview of the work the institute does (and correctly pointing out some of its creepier aspects), Gemma sees something strange. A glimpse of a creature in a patient’s room while making her rounds sets Gemma on a steady path of mental and emotional decline.
The three-pronged approach to telling Gemma’s story lets us see her life unraveling from multiple angles. Though it feels like she nails an audition…she doesn’t even hear back. Memories of a lost love haunt her dreams. Especially after learning he many have moved on already. Investigating the sleep institute seems to be her only way to exert control over anything. Standing in her way…the strange creature that’s lurking in the shadows. Maybe. Only Gemma ever sees the creature, which is a shame given its cool design and effective crackling noises. The closer she gets to an answer the farther her life seems to fall off track.
The dangers of the sleep center (called Somnium…in case you wondered where the film’s title came from) all seem to point to co-worker Noah (Will Peltz). Noah is the man responsible for what the patients dream about. A fact that he flaunts in ways that quickly make you question whether he’s the right person for that very personal job. He’s cold to Gemma…especially after his attempt to hit on her don’t go anywhere. More helpful is alleged Hollywood mover and shaker Brooks (Jonathon Schaech) who takes an interest in Gemma. He says he will help her get on her feet because he sees something in her. Sounds creepy…can’t help but sound creepy…but he does seem genuine.
Which brings us to what makes the story of Somnium work so well. Figuring out what’s real. I don’t mean that on a dream vs reality level…at least not completely. I mean it like it reads. What’s real? What’s really going on? Are the intentions of the people around Gemma in line with what they appear to be? From her ex-boyfriend’s full arc told in flashback to another actress who went through the Somnium system…who is what they actually appear to be?
That’s the best way to approach a story about the Hollywood dream. A story notorious for its inclusion of phonies, liars and users. Gemma may not have had the best plan when she set out to chase this dream…but who can she trust while she’s doing it? In her personal life…work life…and Hollywood life? Somnium gives the answers the best way it can. A third act that goes delightfully off the rails. It combines all three storylines turned nightmares as Gemma’s rapidly decaying psyche attempts to make sense of it. Which makes for a perfect fit for how we’re viewing the resolution of Somnium. You may ultimately be left debating what was real…but you’ll be in for a really good time watching this well-told story unfold.
Scare Value
Somnium is a confident debut feature for writer/director Racheal Cain. Chloë Levine is fantastic as Gemma…a character that becomes more and more interesting as the world around her falls apart. The choice to explore Gemma’s story from three different angles pays off in multiple ways. It keeps the story engaging from the start…and pays off wonderfully when Somnium turns its tale inwards in its final act.
3.5/5
