IN THEIR SLEEP
Sub-Genre- Serial Killer/Thriller
France 2010/World 2011
Cast Members of Note- Anne Parillaud, Arthur Dupont, Thierry Fremont and Jean-Hugues Anglades.
What's it About?- Let's keep it simple so as not to ruin any of the twisty plot points, shall we?
In Their Sleep is about a sexy MILF who drives her son to jump out of a window and her husband to leave her, thus leaving her all alone in the French countryside with only her guilt to live with. I think she also has a cat named Henri, but we don't see much of him throughout the film, as he's most likely outside chasing mice around in the grass. Or something.
After nearly killing a patient with her incompetence b-ecause she's basically the worst nurse ever- our MILF is sent home in the middle of the night to contemplate why young men in her life always seem to come so close to death when she's around. Fittingly enough, she hits another young man on the road, nearly killing him too. No, she is not the serial killer, but it does seem like a trend, doesn't it?
Feeling guilty, she takes her latest victim home to throw some band-aids on his wounds, but she is not alone... a bloody maniac nearly drives them off of the road and follows them to her house, hell bent on killing the kid that she nearly killed herself. From here on out, it's a fight for survival as the MILF and her hit-and-not-run victim try to fend of the madman and his bloody rage...
Will the madman get his way and see them both dead? Will our MILF heroine finally get it right and save the life of a young boy instead of nearly killing him? Will Henri ever show up on the porch with a newly-caught mouse in his teeth? I'm not going to spoil what happens here, as things do get pretty twisty as the film goes on, but I will say that I think Henri is dead. Poor kitty.
The Good- I don't want to say this movie is a whodunit type of a thriller, but it certainly does a good job of keeping you guessing at different things throughout its running time. I don't know what it is, but the French sure do have a knack for making some smart horror/thriller flicks, and Dans Ton Sommeil is a clever little beast that actually uses the ever so popular and cliche' "twist" to good effect.
The serial killer aspect of things is pretty creepy and effective, and leads to a few nasty kill scenes which is always fun. Arthur Dupont and Thierry Fremont (one of whom is a cold blooded killer) do great jobs at both playing creepy while oddly sympathetic characters, and manage to keep you guessing at their motivation throughout. Anne Parillaud looks damn good for a 50 year old, and she still has the acting chops too. I'll always think of Nikita or Innocent Blood when I see her, but she can carry other movies quite capably as well. She proves that here.
The Bad- Why are people so damned trusting of one another? I hit a guy on the road, I'm calling the cops, not taking him home to my place to tend his frigging wounds. To me, that just invites all sorts of trouble that I don't need, and I prefer to play things safe. Too safe.
The Downright Horrendous- *Kinda spoiler/tamtrum* The scene in which our heroine gets behind the wheel, starts speeding and driving crazy, lets go of the wheel and flips her car left be a bit cold... it just felt forced and out of place with the rest of the movie, and I hate it. It's stupid! Dumb scene! Waaaa! *end tantrum*
The Gory- Slit throats, car wrecks and stabbings galore! Well, maybe not "galore", but there's enough wet stuff in this one to keep us satisfied.
The Naked- The ladies get some full frontal male nudity and the guys get a mostly naked Anne Parillaud taking a shower.
What did we learn?- Never pick up hitchhikers, even if you hit them with your car and feel bad. Also, once again France proves to be a creepy and dangerous place!
The Master Says- B+ We've been on a run of great movies as of late here at THC, and In Their Sleep definitely continues that trend. Smart, tense, and clever, this French thriller gave us a twist or two that actually added to the plot rather than left us feeling cheated. That's nice to see for a change. France hits another solid home run with this movie, and further solidifies themselves as one of the best horror making countries in the world. This movie is playing on IFC On Demand right now, so plop down 7.99 and treat yourself to a great little thriller. IFC is always a worthy cause to spend our cash on anyhow.Final Thoughts- At 50 years old, Anne Parillaud is still a sexy, sexy woman.
