Sleeping Beauty

Comparisons with the masterful Eyes Wide Shut may not be entirely appropriate, but somehow I just can't resist. Kubrick took on human sexuality back then and handled it in his last film with bravura, incredible sensitivity, and experience. What's more, the whole film had a superb psycho-erotic atmosphere and held the viewer's attention permanently. Sleeping Beauty beckons with its poster, it beckons with the casting of Emily Browning, it beckons with its unusual and eccentric subject matter. The absence of any moment of suspense, the inexplicable specific motivations of the protagonist and of the entire film overall, in which all the characters seem too mechanical and "disciplined" (in relation to their roles) – all this kills the possible message and makes Sleeping Beauty a pseudo-artistic flop with a completely random and extremely awkward conclusion. There was potential, and I dare say a lot of it. But it remained drowned somewhere. How would Lars von Trier, Roman Polanski, or Gaspar Noé have handled it? Emily Browning may have gorgeous peepers and a lovely body (if you’re not into boobs), but in the passages of the film where she’s not naked or half-naked, her acting is absolutely mediocre and without a shred of charisma, which certainly wouldn't matter maybe in a romantic comedy. This was supposed to be a drama. Unfortunately, it ends up a tragicomedy. (07.11.2011)