Young Tara (AnnaSophia Robb) is forced to stay with her uncle James (Nick Stahl) when her mother, Jolene (Charlize Theron), unexpectedly leaves following the arrest of her latest boyfriend. James becomes too financially strapped to continue caring for here, so Tara goes into the system. He soon takes her out of the group home, though, and they travel to his childhood home. The events that happen there shed a revealing light on both James and Jolene and change everything.

CRITIQUE

Independent dramas were films that could be counted on as pieces of filmmaking worth seeking out, at least for the most part, since the independent film came into existence. Lately, though, I have noticed that other genres besides drama have sneaked up into the positions of highest quality in the independent arena. Sleepwalking intends to be a wrenching, powerful drama but it ends up being a mostly unpleasant experience with only the cast to recommend it.

The problems Sleepwalking has nearly all stem from the script. First and maybe most detrimentally, the characters here are, by and large, off-putting. Jolene, from the first scene in which she curses more than once, becomes a distasteful person throughout. Her behavior is something the viewer will have to struggle through to find any empathy with and they will rarely succeed. Though there is, unfortunately, a small amount of realism in the character because there are people like this in the world, the idea that a wide audience of people would truly come to care about what happens to her is fundamentally flawed.

The character is absent from the middle stretch of the film, and the focus on Stahl’s character does do the film a favor. Though there isn’t enough to overcome the other flaws here, James is the most sympathetic character here and Stahl is talented enough to engage. Robb has talent as well, but the character she portrays is, again unfortunately, bratty enough to be distancing. There is also an odd sequence near the end of the film in which she smokes and dives into a pool fully clothed. There is no sense made of this- is she turning into her mother? Dreaming? Hopper’s mean-to-be-menacing character might also provoke a bit of unintentional laughter- the opposite of what the filmmakers intend. The actors are clearly trying, though.

Director William Maher puts forth a valiant attempt. I like the way he begins and ends the film with similar images- a wide shot of a straight stretch of road- because it adds a cyclical effect. This emphasizes anything like that there might be in the narrative. Mostly, though, the depressing nature of the third act and climax of the film (which I won’t spoil but serves to hand the most appealing character a handful) ensure that the overall effect of Sleepwalking is more negative than positive.

THE VIDEO

Sleepwalking is presented in anamorphic widescreen as well as standard definition (full frame).  There are no problems with color or picture; it looks very good.

THE AUDIO

Sleepwalking is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and English subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

A Mother’s Shame, A Family’s Pain: This is a making-of doc and it has the usual interviews and on-set footage. The interviews seem to come from different sources, so that can be a tiny bit jarring. The discussion of the story and how all the actors “thought it was great” can feel a bit laughable after seeing the film but their commitment to a project is admirable. The have the usual praise for each other and there are some interesting facts provided about shooting in frigid Canada, for instance. Not a bad extra.

FINAL THOUGHTS