By Terry Sherwood
The dream has been a staple of genre literature with many celebrated incidents in novels, short stories, Art and film. From the many classic moments in literature to the blatant use in film one wonders what can be done. You take that framework and create which is why I found Racheal Cain’s written and directed thriller Somnium quite intriguing.
The picture explores dreams, both literal and figurative as the audience meets Gemma (Chloë Levine), a struggling actor in Hollywood. Gemma experienced a romantic breakup with her childhood sweetheart when she decided to relocate to Los Angeles and pursue her dreams of Hollywood fame and fortune. This is not new and frankly, the concept is handled with some naïve images and statements in the film.
The dream takes more than wishing as one needs to pay the bills, she takes a job working nights at a sleep research company called Somnium. The job entails watching over the sleeping patients. Her co-worker Noah (Will Peltz), the company’s dream designer with whom she is to learn the ropes The company reprograms the minds of its subjects through their dreams to help them achieve their goals. Gemma takes the work and allows her to go to auditions during the day. During her off says she relives moments of her past in moments from her diary such as her life with Hunter (Peter Vack) and her carefree high school days.
One night in an alleyway behind an arcade after trying to meet people Brooks (Johnathon Schaech), a blonde slickly dressed man pulls up in a limo and asks if she is right. The two strike an odd friendship and Hollywood as Brooks offers to show her the town. Gemma later takes him up on that along with introducing her to the ‘producer parties’ that further one’s acting career.
Back at work, Gemma thinks she sees a mysterious skeletal-like creature in one of the rooms. She also learns of a mysterious, and irreversible, procedure referred to as Cloud 9 used when the normal procedure sends a patient off the deep end.
Two narratives going on Somnium cruises along with the world of both dreams clashing. Gemma learns to face her fear manifested in the beast when she enters a Rod Serling ‘Twilight Zone’ ‘-like the world of empty talk shows, crumbling buildings and avenging past ghosts to have her dream all the show would have to do is succumb to it. Believe it and it will happen.
Racheal Cain directs with long flowing corridors, and shadows, and keeps the story moving even when it becomes more of an inner drama for Gemma. The cast is brilliant in many ways especially Chloe Levine as Gemma who looks like the small-town diner working in Georgia girl for much of the film and then a savvy if naive party gal dressed in a gown like Jennifer Lawrence In Red Sparrow. I have seen Levine’s work in the underrated vampire film The Transfiguration in which she plays an abusive trapped young girl who befriends a monster.
Somnium works on many levels as a thriller with the ending just a little off-centre without being preachy. Like Edgar Poe wrote ‘To sleep perchance to dream’ like some do in Hollywood.
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