Sleeping Beauty (2011)

Lucy is a young University student struggling to stay afloat amid multiple jobs, unsympathetic house mates, a suicidal alcoholic best friend, some minor prostitution (both sexual and medical) and dealing with a past that seems even bleaker. She replies to an add in a student newspaper that will lead her into a world of high class Sleeping Beauties. A job that will require her complete submission in order to provide erotic fantasies to old men. She is paid very well for the work, but clearly she isn't in it for the money, in fact Lucy's motives are never really made clear, something I feel lets the film down considerably.

Emily Browning has clearly given her all for this film, both her body and her mind. Her performance is nothing short of astounding and is by far the best thing the film has to offer. Clearly writer director Julia Leigh knew exactly what she wanted out of her when making the film.

Every frame of Sleeping Beauty has an acute attention to detail, it looks like a million dollars although I was surprised to learn it cost 10 (million). Unfortunately the film is let down by a puzzling incoherence and a strange lack of narrative. I wanted to know more, yet I wanted to see less. It is also let down by pacing, seemingly going on forever with multiple long takes and an abundance of superfluous scenes.

In deciding whether or not to see Sleeping Beauty I would suggest that you should at least expect to be challenged, it was certainly controversial at Cannes for a reason and it does have some fairly confronting imagery and themes. I certainly would not recommend it as a date movie.