The Horror Show
Sleep Tight
by Jaume Balagueró
When misery, despair, and perversion take over it is only a matter of a few days to destroy someone's life. In the case of Sleep Tight, it took only a few weeks for lead character, Cesar, to satisfy his obsessions and make his victim's life a nightmare.
Luis Tosar is excellent in portraying the tragic figure of a miserable and lost doorman, who is sucked into a dead end and pointless daily routine. His day starts at 5am, but somehow it never seems to end. Maintaining a building and dealing with the residents' quests are his daily tasks. But late at night, when everyone is asleep he has all the time he needs to satisfy his inner twisted desires.
Clara ( Marta Etura ), an attractive and joyful resident becomes his obsession and he never misses a chance to spend some precious time with her. However, she is never aware of his presence and all the things he ritually does to her every night.
For those of you who have seen The Resident starring Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, you'll probably be familiar with the story, as Sleep Tight follows the exact same steps. In The Resident, Hilary Swank is the attractive resident whereas Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays the role of the creepy neighbor, who also never misses a chance to spend a night in Swank's apartment without her consent.
The similarities are profound. But so are the differences. Sleep Tight focuses its entire story on the tragic figure of Cesar and his despair as he was ignored and snubbed his whole life. The only thing that keeps him from putting himself out of this misery is people's unhappiness. He sees a smile, he has to rip it off. He sees misery and pain, he smiles with satisfaction.
And that's a vital difference with The Resident. It's not just about a sick stalker who takes out his perversion on an ignorant victim. It's the sadness and loneliness behind the villain's motives that stand out and make the character strong. It's his blunt apathy and resistance in pain that enhance his violent and disturbing instincts.
Another great thing about Sleep Tight is the strong cast. Both Luis Tosar and Marta Etura are excellent at their roles; on one hand, a silent yet absurdly dangerous man and on the other hand a completely clueless woman who wakes up every day having absolutely no idea of what happened the night before.
Alberto Marini stands behind Sleep Tight's storyline and Antti Jokinen is responsible for The Resident's plot. Both of them were released in 2011, so I can't say for sure which one copied the other. The fact is that the Spanish version has a high score on IMDb, whereas the American production's score is quite average. This difference is justifiable, though, as The Resident is more simple and straightforward. Sleep Tight takes the story to the next level depicting the wrong side of human nature.
So, let this Spanish horror film offer you an insight into the depths of a disturbed and miserable mind. And if you feel like it, give The Resident a chance for more gore and high tension hunting scenes. Something that Sleep Tight is lacking.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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