The Sleepwalkers
(Los sonámbulos)
Paula Hernández | Drama, Fiction
2019 | 107 minutes | Argentina, Uruguay
A chaotic look at the struggles of adolescence and a deliciously observed, tightly focused drama about a family falling apart over a New Year's vacation.
Synopsis
Following the path of Lucrecia Martel's La Cienega, Paula Hernández places her film in that family reunion subgenre, focusing on the story between mother and daughter. Luisa, her husband Emilio, and their 14-year-old daughter Ana, are spending their New Year holiday visiting Emilio’s mother Meme at her country house, joined by Emilio’s brother and his family. Over the course of what was hoped to be a peaceful, summertime family vacation, multiple tensions – ranging from career worries to troubled adolescence, a possible selling of the house to myriad family problems – will gradually simmer into an explosion. Luisa and Ana in particular will face an awakening in the midst of a silent family crisis.
Featuring a skilled and brilliant Argentinian cast, including Erika Rivas (Wild Tales) and Luis Ziembrowski (One Love), who bring the requisite nuance and humanity to Hernandez’ rich script, The Sleepwalkers is an indelible portrait of a family in crisis, where desire and expectation clash when familial pressures push women to their limits. The film builds to a violent climax, but in its aftermath, we're given the relief of knowing that, when chaos reigns, the parent-child connection at the center of this story holds. (Miami Film Festival)
Reviews
"[A] deliciously observed, tightly focused drama about a family falling apart over a New Year's vacation. " — Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter
"Hernandez deftly combines a coming-of-age drama with a finely observed portrait of a complex mother-daughter relationship and then wraps it all up in the bigger picture of a family sleepwalking towards disaster. The result is a multi-layered drama vividly brought to life by a well-cast ensemble." — Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
"With a feminine point of view, visual elegance, and performances always on point, The Sleepwalkers walks on a latent tension that never lets go." — Juan Pablo Russo, Escribiendo Cine
"A film as bright as it is personal that demonstrates the virtuosity and skill of a great filmmaker." — Cristina Aparicio, Cuadernos de Cine
"As a forensic examination of the fragile dynamics of family life, The Sleepwalkers is very strong...psychological burdens are explored by Hernández with delicacy, agility and not the slightest self-indulgence." — Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter
"The Sleepwalkers has enough resources and findings to keep audiences awake." — Diego Batlle, Otroscines.com
"It's a somewhat chaotic look at the struggles of adolescence." — Matthew St. Clair, The Playlist
Citation
Main credits
Hernández, Paula (film director)
Hernández, Paula (screenwriter)
Rivas, Erica (actor)
Marini, Marilù (actor)
D'Elia, Ornella (actor)
Miller, Juan Pablo (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Iván Gierasinchuk; editor, Rosario Suárez; music, Pedro Onetto.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Body Image
Criminal Justice
Family
Mental Health
Oscar® Contenders
Sociology
South America
Women
Youth
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
Academy Awards® - Argentina's submission for Best International Feature Film
Havana Film Festival - Best Film Best Script Best Actress
Fine Arts Film Festival
Dominican Rep. & Puerto Rico - Best Director, Best Actress
Alturas International Film Festival - Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress
Toronto International Film Festival
San Sebastián Film Festival
DIRECTOR: Paula Hernández
NATIONALITY: Argentina, Uruguay
YEAR: 2019
GENRE: Drama, Fiction
LANGUAGE: Spanish
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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