Cork Cine Club presents SLEEP [South Korea]

Tickets go on sale Sunday 15 September at 8:00am.

What if the place you thought was safest suddenly became a battleground for your sanity?

Young couple Hyun-su and Soo-jin are about to become new parents when, one night, heavily pregnant Soo-jin wakes up from a deep slumber to her husband’s first act of parasomnia [disruptive sleep-related disorders].

In the weeks and months that follow, Hyun-su’s behaviour gets increasingly more disturbing, transforming him into someone unrecognisable once he falls asleep, with no recollection of what he gets up to. The couple try multiple approaches to combat his condition, but nothing seems to work.

After their child is born Hyun-su’s actions grow more grotesque and bizarre, and Soo-jin begins to fear the worst. Desperate and sleep-deprived, she turns for help to a shaman, someone connected to the supernatural world.

Debut director Jason Yu, who was the assistant director for Academy Award-winning Bong Joon Ho [Parasite], brings audiences a clever, well-crafted and genre-bending thriller that rachets up a creeping horror towards its fantastically bonkers finale. It features one of the final performances from Parasite star Lee Sun-kyun, who tragically died in 2023.

We end with a hectic denouement that satisfies all desire for catharsis as it makes an art of creative doubt spreading. A fine chamber piece. – The Irish Times

The sleep of reason is what’s supposed to produce monsters…but not as many as sleep deprivation. That is the awful paradox driving this elegant, intimate, gleefully brash Korean chiller from feature first-timer Jason Yu. – The Guardian

It’s an impressive first feature from Jason Yu, who is as adept at wielding the sly observational comedy of the film’s first half as he is at ratcheting up the claustrophobic tension later on. – The Observer

Despite sleepiness being part of its premise, the pacing of Yu’s film is propulsive, and the deft detours into dark comedy – especially a reveal involving PowerPoint slides – are a highlight. – Little White Lies

94% Rotten Tomatoes

SLEEP

South Korea, 2023 | Language: Korean | 1 hr 35 mins | Cert: 15-A

Director: Jason Yu

Cast: Lee Sun-kyun, Jung Yu-mi

Foreign language films are subtitled. 

Cert: CLUB for over 18s.

A short Irish film will be shown before the feature.

BOOKING

Tickets: €8.50/€7 concession

Cork Cine Club absorbs the cost of online booking fees.

Online booking closes at 6pm on the night of the film.

Pay at the door by card or cash. Exact change is appreciated.