SLEEPWALKING IN SUBURBIA

Canada, 2016, 84 minutes, Colour.
Emilie Ullerup, Giles Panton, Lucie Guest, Jason Schombing, Ryan S. Williams, Miranda Frigon, Carlo Marks.
Directed Alex Wright.

What started out as a possibly interesting and entertaining drama about sleepwalking gradually becomes a murder mystery, suddenly melodramatic at the end and with a twist that defies credibility.

The theme of the film is sexomnia, sleepwalking with sexual behaviour. The film opens with a suburban housewife walking in her sleep, going to a neighbour, getting into his bed, having sex with him. Later in the film, she has other sleepwalking episodes, including going to the home of her friend and counsellor and getting into bed with her and her husband.

In past days, those studying moral theology were introduced to theoretical cases, often contrived in scenario, to explore moral dimensions as well as moral decisions. In a way, this is how this film begins. The wife finds it difficult to confide in her husband, especially as they are trying to get pregnant – and she becomes pregnant. But, she does confide in her friend the counsellorl. She and her husband also go to see a therapist to discuss the theory, the consequences, the technique of meditation before going to sleep. Finally, she is handcuffed to the bed so that she will not walk.

The husband seems a decent chap working with his best friend who has always had a thing for the husband’s wife, before they were married. The friend does not believe that there was any sleepwalking. He accosts the wife at various times and she resists. In the meantime he and his wife are having difficulties at home.

All seems to be going reasonably well in terms of her having control of the sleepwalking, her relationship with her husband except that she has not told him fully about the sexomnia relationship.

In the meantime, there have been robberies in the neighbourhood, the wife wakes up after sleepwalking event and is pursued by a van, shot at (the police later discovering this van was rented by the wife of the assailant).

When the assailant is found dead in his house, the wife is arrested but in discussions with the police, she is freed.

Then the film built up to the melodramatic ending, the wife going into the neighbour’s house and being confronted by the slighted wife, wielding a knife, intending to kill her. Her husband hurries to the scene and the wife actually tells him about the pregnancy – with the unthinkable revelation that he is behind everything, has contrived the situation out of vengeance, has freed his wife from the handcuffs, brought her to the house, killed his friend and now threatens his wife.

While the sexomnia is still an interesting case to discuss, moral responsibilities and consequences, and the situation of the pregnancy – all are sacrificed to the high melodrama of the ending.