Sleep (2023 film)

2023 film by Jason Yu

Sleep

Theatrical release poster

Hangul|

RR| Jam
MR| Cham
Directed by| Jason Yu
Screenplay by| Jason Yu[1]
Produced by| Lewis Tae-wan Kim[1]
Starring|

* Jung Yu-mi
* Lee Sun-kyun

Cinematography| Tae-soo Kim[1]
Edited by| Mee-yeon Han[1]
Music by|

* Hyuk-jin Chang[1]
* Yong-jin Chang[1]

Production
company

Lewis Pictures[1]

Distributed by| Lotte Entertainment

Release dates

* 21 May 2023 (2023-05-21) (Cannes)
* 6 September 2023 (2023-09-06) (South Korea)

Running time

| 95 minutes[1]
Country| South Korea
Language| Korean
Box office| US$11.1 million[2][3]

Sleep (Korean: 잠; RR: Jam) is a 2023 South Korean black comedy horror mystery thriller[4][5][6] film written and directed by Jason Yu, in his feature debut. The film stars Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun. It screened in the Critics' Week section at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2023. It was released in South Korea on 6 September 2023. Lee died on 27 December 2023, making Sleep one of his final film appearances.

## Synopsis

[edit]

Hyeon-soo and Soo-jin are newlyweds. One night, she discovers Hyeon-soo sleepwalking, with a strange behavior that is not like him. Every time night falls, she becomes restless, for fear that her husband will harm their newborn.

## Cast

[edit]

* Jung Yu-mi as Soo-jin
* Lee Sun-kyun as Hyeon-soo
* Kim Gook-hee as Min-jeong[7]
* Lee Kyung-jin as Soo-jin's mother[8]
* Yoon Kyung-ho as Doctor

## Production

[edit]

### Development

[edit]

In October 2021, actors Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun confirmed their casting as married couple Soo-jin and Hyeon-soo in a horror film written and directed by Jason Yu, and produced by Lewis Pictures.[9]

Regarding the story, before turning it into a nightmare, Jason Yu was inspired by the moments when he was preparing to marry his girlfriend of seven years: "In writing, my goal was, initially, of course, to make a fun genre film. But, since my subject at the time was marriage, I also wanted to talk about married life." Yu explained: "At first, I was superficially curious about sleepwalking. Then, I wondered what the daily life would look like for a loved one who has to stay by the side of a sleepwalker."[10][11] He also stated that sleep is a good subject for a horror movie, as "sleep is a state of complete surrender to your environment". Yu also stated that when he first created the character Soo-jin, he had Jung Yu-mi in mind as the perfect actress for the role.[12]

During pre-production, Bong Joon-ho showed appreciation for Jason Yu's work. Yu had previously worked as Bong's assistant director during the production of his film Okja (2017). Bong strongly recommended Lee Sun-kyun to play the role of the husband, Hyeon-soo. In an interview after the film's premiere, Yu confessed, "While filming Sleep, I found myself, unconsciously and consciously, trying to imitate the image I had seen in Bong's Okja".[10]

### Filming

[edit]

Principal photography concluded on 12 April 2022.[13][14]

## Release

[edit]

On 17 April 2023, Sleep was selected to be screened in the Critics' Week section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival[15][16] where it had its world premiere on 21 May 2023.[17] The screening took place at Espace Miramar, in the presence of Jason Yu, Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun.[18]

Distribution rights to the film were acquired by Lotte Entertainment,[19] who released it in South Korea on 6 September 2023.[20]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

As of 3 October 2024, the film has grossed US$10,490,192 at the local box office and accumulated 1,470,359 admissions.[2]

### Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 76 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Elegantly executed, Sleep builds prosperously upon a familiar premise and delivers rousing chills."[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22]

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Marilou Duponchel of Trois couleurs called it "a perfection of genre film where laughter and dread mingle. A profound and subtle reflection on married life".[23] Jean-Baptiste Morain of Les Inrockuptibles called it "a very successful first feature film, somewhere between horror and comedy".[24] Luc Chessel of Libération wrote, "Jason Yu distills a skilful atmosphere of anxiety".[25] Singapore's national newspaper The Straits Times gave the film four stars out of five, and it praised the film for dealing with "mysterious nightly terrors packs in more scares than films twice as long".[26]

Director Bong Joon-ho lauded the film as "the most unique horror film and the smartest debut film I've seen in 10 years".[5][27]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Baeksang Arts Awards | 7 May 2024 | Best New Director | Jason Yu  | Nominated  | [28][29]
Best Screenplay | Won
Best Actress | Jung Yu-mi | Nominated
Blue Dragon Film Awards | 24 November 2023 | Best Actress | Jung Yu-mi  | Won  | [30][unreliable source?]
Best New Director | Jason Yu  | Nominated  | [31]
Best Editing | Han Mi-yeon  | Nominated
Buil Film Awards | 3 October 2024 | Best Film  | Sleep | Pending  | [32]
Best Actress  | Jung Yu-mi  | Pending
Best New Director  | Jason Yu  | Pending
Best Screenplay  | Jason Yu  | Pending
Cannes Film Festival | 27 May 2023[a] | Critics' Week Grand Prix  | Jason Yu  | Nominated  | [34]
Caméra d'Or | Nominated  | [1]
Grand Bell Awards | 15 November 2023 | Best Film  | Sleep | Nominated  | [35][unreliable source?]
Best Actress  | Jung Yu-mi  | Nominated
Best New Director  | Jason Yu  | Nominated
Best Screenplay  | Jason Yu  | Nominated
Best Music  | Jang Hyuk-jin, Jang Yong-jin  | Nominated
Best Sound  | Gong Tae-won  | Nominated
Korean Film Producers Association Awards  | 7 December 2023  | Best Actress  | Jung Yu-mi | Won  | [citation needed]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The award ceremony of the 62nd Critics' Week was held on 24 May 2024.[33]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sleep 잠 / Jam". Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
2. ^ a b "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2023". KOFIC. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
3. ^ "Sleep". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 19 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
4. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (17 April 2023). "Cannes Critics' Week Unveils Lineup of 62nd Edition". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
5. ^ a b Noh, Jean (21 May 2023). "Jason Yu talks Critics' Week title 'Sleep', praised by Palme d'Or and Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho". Screen International. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
6. ^ Haddad, Yohan (17 April 2023). "La Semaine de la Critique 2023 dévoile sa sélection". Première (in French). Retrieved 24 May 2023.
7. ^ Lee Ho-young (23 August 2023). '무빙'→'잠' 김국희, 정유미X이선균과 호흡 (in Korean). MBC Entertainment. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
8. ^ "Sleep - Cast (Korean Movie, 2023, 잠)". HanCinema. 28 March 2025.
9. ^ Jeon, Hwa-aoi (13 October 2021). [단독]정유미·이선균, 공포 스릴러 '잠' 호흡..일상 무너뜨리는 공포 [종합]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023..
10. ^ a b Oh, Bo-ram (22 May 2023). '잠' 유재선 감독 "데뷔작 칸에 초청돼 배터질 만큼 행복". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
11. ^ Koh, Seung-ah (22 May 2023). '잠' 유재선 감독 "데뷔작 칸 초청 벅차...봉준호 '즐기고 오라'고" [칸 현장]. Nate News (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
12. ^ "Sleep's writer-director taps the fear of surrendering one's body to the night". The Straits Times. Singapore. 20 September 2023.
13. ^ Choi, Young-ju (19 April 2022). 정유미X이선균 주연 '잠' 크랭크업..."두 배우와 함께해 영광". No Cut News (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
14. ^ Hong, Jang-seong (19 April 2022). 정유미, 이선균 <잠> 4월 12일 크랭크업!. movietok.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
15. ^ "Festival de Cannes 2023 : découvrez la sélection de la Semaine de la critique". Trois Couleurs (in French). 17 April 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
16. ^ Kim, Ji-hye (17 April 2023). 봉준호도 반했다...정유미X이선균 '잠', 칸영화제 비평가주간 초청. sbs.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023..
17. ^ mraultpauillac (10 May 2023). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
18. ^ Jeong, Yoo-jin (21 May 2023). 유재선-정유미-이선균, 영화 '잠'으로 칸영화제 나란히[포토엔HD]. m.newsen.com (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
19. ^ Noh, Jean (31 January 2023). "Lotte gets 'Sleep', with 'Parasite' star Lee Sun-kyun, ahead of EFM (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
20. ^ 김, 보영. 정유미·이선균 '잠' 9월 6일 개봉...칸 이어 시체스영화제 초청 쾌거. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 26 July 2023.
21. ^ "Sleep". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
22. ^ "Sleep". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
23. ^ Duponchel, Marilou (21 May 2023). "Cannes 2023 — « Sleep » de Jason Yu : chambre froide". Trois couleurs. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
24. ^ Morain, Jean-Baptiste (22 May 2023). "[Cannes 2023] : "Sleep" de Jason Yu : un premier long-métrage, entre film d'horreur et comédie, fort réussi". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
25. ^ Chessel, Luc (23 May 2023). "Festival de Cannes : Sleep, flip en famille". Libération (in French). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
26. ^ "At The Movies: In the K-horror Sleep, a couple close their eyes but find no rest". The Straits Times. Singapore. 20 September 2023.
27. ^ Ahn, So-yoon (18 April 2023). [공식] 정유미X이선균 '잠', 칸영화제 비평가주간 초청...봉준호 감독도 극찬. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
28. ^ Lee, Seung-hoon (7 May 2024). '무빙'→'서울의 봄' 대상..'파묘'는 4관왕 [제60회 백상예술대상][종합] ['Moving' → 'Seoul Spring' Grand Prize..'Buried Grave' wins 4 awards [60th Baeksang Arts Awards] [Comprehensive]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 22 June 2025.
29. ^ Hwang, So-young (8 April 2024). 60회 맞은 '백상예술대상' TV·영화·연극 후보 공개 [60th 'Baeksang Arts Awards' TV, Film and Theater Candidates Revealed] (in Korean). JTBC. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024 - via Naver.
30. ^ Cha, E. (24 November 2023). "Winners Of The 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards". Soompi. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
31. ^ [청룡영화상] 김혜수 "마지막 청룡영화상 진행, 특별하고 많은 의미 주는 무대". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 24 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
32. ^ "2024 부일영화상". builfilm.busan.com (in Korean). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
33. ^ "Programme 2023" (PDF) (in French). Critics' Week. p. 8. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
34. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (19 April 2023). "Three European filmmakers selected in competition for Cannes' Critics' Week". Cineuropa. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
35. ^ Nam, S. (24 October 2023). "59th Grand Bell Awards Announces Nominees". Soompi. Retrieved 31 October 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Sleep at IMDb

*[Ref.]: Reference(s)