As many have already observed, Sleep Always is a brilliant technical achievement. The Super-Duper 8 format gives an affordable film stock the impressive look and feel of 16mm. In fact, I was floored when I found out this wasn't 16mm. The film also has seamless synchronized sound, which is often next to impossible to achieve with Super 8.
This on its own is impressive, but filmmakers Rick Palidwor and Mitch Perkins have also crafted a film perfectly suited to this format, the tale of a man, Frank, with a doomed obsession for a homeless woman, Nada. The actress who plays Nada, Laurie Maher, has a commanding on-screen presence. The character Frank is wonderfully meek, although somewhat grating at times. The chronology of events is deliberately skewed, adding interest to the way the characters interact. There is a definite disconnect from reality throughout film, creating a dream-like atmosphere, yet the characters are both familiar and real.
A film that should be required viewing for all independent film enthusiasts, hopefully Sleep Always will reach a wide audience over time and inspire others to work with this amazing new film format.
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