Luis Tosar as César
Blending comedy and suspense is an extremely difficult task, and more often than not, one element succeeds at the expense of the other. The Spanish film Sleep Tight is rather remarkable in the way it achieves this tonal balance, often hitting both notes simultaneously.
The film revolves around hotel concierge César, played with wonderful precision by Luis Tosar (Cell 211, Even the Rain). We meet César as he stands on the hotel roof, contemplating suicide. He is deeply unhappy, but he is kept afloat by his single mission in life – to make others unhappy as well. His nemesis is the always positive Clara, played by the luminous Marta Etura (Cell 211, the upcoming The Impossible). The film then offers the most unusual protagonist goal: César is determined to wipe the smile off Clara’s face.
I won’t say much about the plot here, but suffice it to say that César has a key to Clara’s apartment, and his methods for making her unhappy are both creative and incredibly unsettling. He spends most nights inside her apartment, starting out underneath her bed, in a touch reminiscent of the Jerry Skolimowski film Four Nights With Anna. From the outset, César’s methods do not appear violent; he is determined to break her spirit through psychological torture rather than physical pain. There is not much psychological complexity to his character, but his methods are fascinating. Crucially, we are not sure exactly what he is capable of, so the threat of violence hangs over the film and augments the ever-present tension.
A roach infestation in Sleep Tight
As with films like Man Bites Dog or Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, the audience spends most of the film following a sociopath, which creates a perverse identification with César’s actions. There are scenes in which the film beautifully toys with the viewer’s empathy for Clara (which demands that César be caught) and our simultaneous anxiety about our protagonist being captured.
A key element to the film’s success is the character of Clara, whose positive outlook could easily have been a source of mocking comedy. However, her optimism is never undermined or revealed to be a mask for some deep-seated unhappiness; rather, it is a marvellous source of strength. Every time César enacts one of his plans, he waits for her to emerge from her apartment the next morning, hoping to see the anguish on her face. But every time she walks past the concierge desk and flashes him a good-natured smile, it is a triumphant slap in his face. For the film to work, César needs a worthy adversary, and in Clara, writer Alberto Marini has crafted a unique and refreshing opponent.
The design of the hotel is eye-catching without being distracting. The metal gate that shield the elevator is especially effective in the scenes where César watches the descending vault, waiting to see which of his victims will emerge. Director Jaume Balagueró (Rec and Rec 2) uses the spaces within the hotel and its apartments effectively, and makes great use of point of view shots when César is lurking in Clara’s bedroom or spying on her and her boyfriend.
César the voyeur in Sleep Tight
Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Sleep Tight, as indicated at the start of this review, is the balance of comedy and horror. There are scenes of great tension when César is lurking in Clara’s apartment, and there are wonderfully comic scenes, including a subplot about a spiteful young girl who lives across from Clara, has cottoned on to César’s behaviour, and is blackmailing him in exchange for her silence.
There is a delicious cruelty to the humour, on a level that we don’t usually see in films. It reminded me of Neil LaBute’s controversial jet-black comedy In the Company of Men, in which two misogynistic businessmen psychologically bully a deaf female colleague, as a form of revenge against her entire gender. Sleep Tight is less confronting because the comedy is lighter and the protagonist less grounded in ugly reality. Still, the blend of comedy and cruelty is both startling and perversely entertaining. I was also impressed that film doesn’t pull its punches; there are a few occasions where it ventures into territory that is darker than expected.
Sleep Tight isn’t a perfect film, but it is terrifically entertaining. The script is sharp, and pits two nicely defined, strong-willed characters against each other. The climax gets a little hysterical, but this is at least in keeping with the sense of farce that underpins the film. With its effortless balance of chills and laughs, and its lightness of touch, Sleep Tight is a real joy.
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