SLEEPER
Canada/US, 2018, 86 minutes, Colour.
Kara Kilmer, Brett Donahue, Mylene Dinh- Robic, Barbara Gordon, Mike Camacho.
Directed by Philippe Gagnon.
Sleeper is an entertaining enough thriller, opening with the wife shooting her husband – then flashbacks.
The couple have been married for seven years and celebrated it. A happy life has been marred by a miscarriage. The husband seems to be well employed and trusted. She has hopes for the future in the marriage.
The wife becomes suspicious, seeing her husband with another woman, his covering himself. However, a woman claiming to be his mother arrives – and not acting like a mother at all.
In fact, at the bottom of the plot, is the old story of the Soviet Union and now Russia planting sleepers in the United States who will be controlled and contacted when the need arises.
There are complications, shootings, further dangers, help from the FBI (the wife’s best friend turning out to be an agent who has been tracking her husband) and a final set up which is where the film opened, the wife shooting her husband.
1. The title? The ambiguity? Audience awareness of sleepers in American society? Russian sleepers?
2. The American city, homes, restaurants, hospitals, police precincts? Musical score?
3. Jennifer’s story, the tense opening and her shooting Freddie? The flashbacks? In herself, marrying Freddie, the miscarriage and its effect, seven years, his special preparation for the anniversary, declarations of love? Insecurity in herself, the sense of something wrong? Complete ignorance of his other identity? Phoning him, seen him with a woman, suspicions? His explanation about a dissatisfied customer? In the street, the car hitting him, in hospital, coma, her attention and concern? His mother arriving, stern, searching the house, Jennifer suspicions? At the hospital? The detective, the questioning, the information about the driver, going to his house, his explanation of blackmail and concern? Finding his body? Her friendship with Connie, reliance on her? To hospital, Freddie recovering, going to the house, the confrontation with the Russian woman and her presence throughout the story, with his alleged mother? The revelation that Connie was FBI? Being considerate and not doing the revelation until after the wedding anniversary?
4. Freddie, pleasant, ordinary, florist, the woman in the street, his being knocked down, coma, recovery, with Jennifer, the Russian woman and growing up with her, the controller as his mother, guns, hold-ups? The buildup to the final confrontation, Jennifer shooting him? Connie giving him the vest, interrogations, his allegedly being dead, the future, Jennifer picking him up?
5. Connie, the best friend, the revelation of FBI, supporting Jennifer, arranging the confrontation, the best?
6. The Russian woman, her presence, growing up with Freddie? The gun, her not being able to shoot Jennifer, pregnant? The controller, stern, posing as the mother, searching the house, at the hospital, with the guns?
7. The detective, concern, the case going to the FBI?
8. What starts as a romance ends as espionage?
