Sleep Always

Dir. Mitch Perkins and Rick Palidwor , 2002

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Sun 20 April 2008 // 19:30 / Cinema

A dark psychological thriller by 2 fiercly independent Canadian filmmakers who invented a new film format Superduper8 in order to shoot this film. It was awarded the "best feature" prize at the 2005 New Jersey International Film Festival.

Sleep AlwaysSleep AlwaysSleep alwaysSleep Always is a dark psychological thriller made by 2 fiercly independent Canadian filmmakers who invented a new film format Superduper8 in order to shoot this film. It was awarded the "best feature" prize at the 2005 New Jersey International Film Festival.

Story

Working in a factory by day and playing jazz saxophone by night Frank's isolation deepens when he becomes obsessed with the enigmatic figure of Nada - an alluring homeless girl. Intent on saving Nada from life on the street Frank pursues the object of his social and sexual fantasy at all costs.

A noirish psychological journey where reality and fantasy collide in the labyrinthian corridors of Frank's obsession.

Superduper8 

Super-duper 8 is a wide-screen super 8 film format. The concept behind super-duper 8 is identical to that behind super 16: expose the far edge of the film, normally reserved for sound tracks, thereby capturing a wider image.

If you want to learn more about the technical aspects of Superduper8, visit this page written by Rick Palidwor, one of the directors, on the film's website.

Review

The Independent weekly, 3 Oct 2002

"Made very independently by local filmmakers Palidwor and Perkins, Sleep Always screened last weekend. Although afraid to be bored out of my tree, I nonetheless acted on my curiosity and headed straight for Hart House Circle.

My apprehensions were quietly killed off while watching this little gem.

(...) Although the storyline gets convoluted at times and the acting often leaves more to be desired, the film's overall delivery is constantly potent and memorable.

I have no idea when, if ever, this will be shown again publicy.

But as a film snob of the hightest order, I can suggest only two things: see this film and get inspired." Ryan Burt

The Independent Weekly, 6 March 2003

"The stylistic techniques used in Sleep Always, by Mitch Perkins and Rick Palidwor - especially the editing and the contrasting shots of stark hallways and dark nights - were so original and created such a creepy atmosphere that I found it hard to take my eyes off the screen, even when the story lagged.

This is the future of super-8 filmmaking, without a doubt. Let's hope for more films with this type of construction, control and creativity." Tanya Koivusalo

You can watch a trailer for the film here.

The film will be preceded by a couple more super 8 films.