Sleep Tight (2011)

You wake day after day to the comfort and security of your home. But how safe is it really?

Director:

Jaume Balagueró

Writer:

Alberto Marini (screenplay)

Stars:

Luis Tosar, Marta Etura, Alberto San Juan

9 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luis Tosar	...	César
Marta Etura	...	Clara
Alberto San Juan	...	Marcos
Petra Martínez	...	Sra. Verónica
Iris Almeida	...	Úrsula (as Iris Almeida Molina)
Carlos Lasarte	...	Vecino 4ºB
Amparo Fernández	...	Mujer de la limpieza
Roger Morilla	...	Joven de la limpieza
Pep Tosar	...	Padre de Úrsula
Margarita Roset	...	Madre de César
Ruben Ametllé	...	Trabajador Oficina 1
Manel Dueso	...	Comisario (as Manuel Dueso)
Tony Corvillo	...	Policía 1
Ricard Sadurní	...	Policía 2
Xavier Pujolràs	...	Policía 3

Storyline

Apartment concierge Cesar (Luis Tosar) is a miserable person who believes he was born without the ability to be happy. As a result, he decides his mission is to make life hell for everyone around him. A majority of the tenants are easy to agitate, but Clara (Marta Etura) proves to be harder than the most. So Cesar goes to creepy extremes to make this young woman mentally break down. Things get even more complicated in this twisted relationship when her boyfriend, Marcos (Alberto San Juan), shows up.

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Plot Keywords:

concierge | building | dog | apartment | evil child | 

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Taglines:

Don't let the bedbugs bite

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Mientras Duermes" is the name of the television program for which the journalist "Ángela" works, on the film "REC" by director Jaume Balagueró.

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Goofs

Cesar uses Chloroform on Clara using a cloth, several times. She is rendered unconscious in seconds, yet when Cesar spills it straight on his face he is able to stagger around the apartment and even make it to the bathtub.

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Quotes

César: Happy... That's exactly my problem. That I can't be happy. I never have been. Not even when good things happen to me. You can't imagine what it means to wake up every day with no motivation. The effort it takes me to find a reason, just one, not to let it all go to Hell. And believe me, I give it my best shot. My very best. Every day of my life...

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: Mentiras arriesgadas (2012)

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Soundtracks

Next 2 You
Written by Josh Todd (as Todd), Keith Nelson (as Nelson), Marti Frederiksen, Jimmy Ashhurst (as Ashhurt), Steven Dacanay (as Dacanay) and Xavier Muriel (as Muriel)
Performed by Buckcherry

User Reviews

Masterful Perversion

I 've seen "REC" some months ago and I just wasn't sure... I mean, how can you tell if there is a visionary director or some random guy who just got lucky? "REC" wasn't so demanding by concept and it all worked out fine.

So I had to check another one and this time I was sure that Jaume Balagueró really is a visionary director plus ...I got lucky! Because Sleep Tight was a real treat for this messed up part of my mind (we all have this, aren't we?).

Yes, it is a thriller all right, but not the horror-jump scare kind of thriller. The horror element here is actually a poison more than just a scare. It will slowly get into you and when this film is done it will extract a portion of happiness out of your soul for the pleasure of César.

César is the main character and he is suffering from pathological unhappiness. He have an urge to kill himself every single day but his survival instinct driving him to find a reason not to. But what can you do to feel better in this absolute sadness especially since you realise that you are just not capable of happiness? Well, misery loves company. And the only way is to make the others unhappy too.

That's the whole story actually, but the way this story unfolds itself before our unsuspected eyes is masterful. I was watching the film alone and I was so into it in the first twenty minutes that at some point I was yelling to the TV. I was on the edge ever after and before the very end I was filled with sympathy AND repulsion for the same character, soaked into despair of what a man can do.

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

14 October 2011 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Sleep Tight

Filming Locations:

Parc audiovisual de Catalunya, Terrassa, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,791,590

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, Castelao Producciones, Coser y Cantar

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 92 min (DVD film)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1