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Product Description
You will go to sleep: you will wake up. It will be as if those hours never existed. Quietly reckless, Lucy (Emily Browning Suckerpunch) is a young university student who takes a job as a Sleeping Beauty. In the Sleeping Beauty Chamber old men seek an erotic experience that requires a drugged, comatose, Lucys absolute submission. This unsettling task starts to bleed into Lucys daily life as she develops an increasing need to know what happens to her when she is asleep.
Haunting and provocative, Julia Leighs powerful vision is one of the most startling debut features of recent years.
Reviews
Emily Browning gives a fierce and powerful performance, which should put her in the running for the festival's best actress prize GUARDIAN
"Haunting and dreamlike, a joy to watch"- ELLE
Audacious and suggestive **** - TIME OUT <nr> Dark and erotic VOGUE
"Haunting... Stunning, brave, thoughtful and highly accomplished... it lingers like a vivid dream ****" TOTAL FILM
"Brave and beautiful...mesmerising and hypnotic, the sensual camerawork lingers on the beauty of everything it touches ****" EMPIRE
Intelligent, provocative cinema **** - THE BIG ISSUE
Haunting and provocative, Julia Leighs powerful vision is one of the most startling debut features of recent years.
Reviews
Emily Browning gives a fierce and powerful performance, which should put her in the running for the festival's best actress prize GUARDIAN
"Haunting and dreamlike, a joy to watch"- ELLE
Audacious and suggestive **** - TIME OUT <nr> Dark and erotic VOGUE
"Haunting... Stunning, brave, thoughtful and highly accomplished... it lingers like a vivid dream ****" TOTAL FILM
"Brave and beautiful...mesmerising and hypnotic, the sensual camerawork lingers on the beauty of everything it touches ****" EMPIRE
Intelligent, provocative cinema **** - THE BIG ISSUE
Product Description
DVD W/ Emily Browning, Rachael Blake And Ewen Leslie
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
75 of 85 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Sleeping Beauty is Vegemite - an Australian film which will you will either love or hate.
Emily Browning stars as Lucy, aka Sara, a student of loose morals who juggles various jobs and takes on a role doing silver service whilst wearing lingerie. She also juggles various men. Lucy, aka Sara, is told that she will be working with other women, some of whom will have more responsibilities. In time, Lucy, aka Sara, also takes on new responsibilities - specifically taking a narcotic dose and sleeping naked for the pleasure of old men. It's beautifully shot, with near still camera angles, long periods of silence and very creepy undertones. Then by day, Lucy, aka Sara, goes back to university and sits in lectures, awaiting phone calls to spring her into action.
Meanwhile, Lucy does her best to maintain normal relations with her housemates and her various men. Unsuccessfully.
Emily Browning puts in a stellar performance, not least as she plays unconscious whilst being carried about the room and half dropped off a bed. She manages to convince in a very difficult role, blending innocence with moral depravity without ever seeming conflicted.
The premise sounds erotic but, with the exception of one early scene featuring coin tossing, the performance is absolutely deadpan and devoid of all emotion. There is nudity, but it is sterile. Everything feels suppressed. The ending, when it comes, is ambiguous and deflating.
For my money, Sleeping Beauty is a future classic - unashamedly art-house and very heavily stylized. And, as some Australian newspapers have noted, it is an Australian film which doesn't play on its provenance. For much of the film, the action might as well be in a French chateau - referenced by a bed with a bolster rather than pillows.... Read more ›
Emily Browning stars as Lucy, aka Sara, a student of loose morals who juggles various jobs and takes on a role doing silver service whilst wearing lingerie. She also juggles various men. Lucy, aka Sara, is told that she will be working with other women, some of whom will have more responsibilities. In time, Lucy, aka Sara, also takes on new responsibilities - specifically taking a narcotic dose and sleeping naked for the pleasure of old men. It's beautifully shot, with near still camera angles, long periods of silence and very creepy undertones. Then by day, Lucy, aka Sara, goes back to university and sits in lectures, awaiting phone calls to spring her into action.
Meanwhile, Lucy does her best to maintain normal relations with her housemates and her various men. Unsuccessfully.
Emily Browning puts in a stellar performance, not least as she plays unconscious whilst being carried about the room and half dropped off a bed. She manages to convince in a very difficult role, blending innocence with moral depravity without ever seeming conflicted.
The premise sounds erotic but, with the exception of one early scene featuring coin tossing, the performance is absolutely deadpan and devoid of all emotion. There is nudity, but it is sterile. Everything feels suppressed. The ending, when it comes, is ambiguous and deflating.
For my money, Sleeping Beauty is a future classic - unashamedly art-house and very heavily stylized. And, as some Australian newspapers have noted, it is an Australian film which doesn't play on its provenance. For much of the film, the action might as well be in a French chateau - referenced by a bed with a bolster rather than pillows.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Lionface
Format:DVD
Firstly, as mentioned in other reviews - it's a love or hate film. Cold and frustrating for some, but deep and thought provoking for others. A personal vision for it's writer/director which touches subtly and intimately on grand themes such as death, desire, curiosity, emptiness and the long dark night of the soul.
The core of the film is Lucy, a young girl in her quest of survival both financially and emotionally. Menial job, unstable living situation and relationships - common indie film subjects. But as curious Lucy applies for a strange, dangerous, erotic job, both she and the film then take a turn into a darker underworld. The film then becomes more dreamlike, jet lagged even as the underlying themes become more relevant than the actual events themselves. The jigsaw piece style of narrative is handled very well in my opinion.
It beats to it's own heart but the films it reminded me of most were 'Story of O', 'Mulholland Drive', 'Celine and Julie go boating' 'Picnic at hanging rock' and Michael Haneke's 'Hidden'. Unusually European flavour for an Australian film. Delicate and haunting but not everyone's cup of tea/mysterious white powder bedtime beverage.
The core of the film is Lucy, a young girl in her quest of survival both financially and emotionally. Menial job, unstable living situation and relationships - common indie film subjects. But as curious Lucy applies for a strange, dangerous, erotic job, both she and the film then take a turn into a darker underworld. The film then becomes more dreamlike, jet lagged even as the underlying themes become more relevant than the actual events themselves. The jigsaw piece style of narrative is handled very well in my opinion.
It beats to it's own heart but the films it reminded me of most were 'Story of O', 'Mulholland Drive', 'Celine and Julie go boating' 'Picnic at hanging rock' and Michael Haneke's 'Hidden'. Unusually European flavour for an Australian film. Delicate and haunting but not everyone's cup of tea/mysterious white powder bedtime beverage.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By BS on parade
Format:Blu-ray
A "quietly reckless" university student joins a service that offers its clients alternative kinky experiences. Eventually she takes on the job of sleeping while the clients spend time with her.
It's a very curious Australian art film that tells its "story" in an unconventional, deliberately flat and stately way. Do not expect dramatic fireworks or even much of a plot. Think Eyes Wide Shut directed by David Lynch. And if you're only watching it for sexual kicks then I recommend using your imagination with the Google search box instead. The movie is a little dirty, and it earns its eighteen certificate, but it's not a parade of top quality filth. It's probably also worth pointing out that it was written and directed by a woman so it's more erotic stories than perving at lingerie models.
Although the pace is a little slow I trusted that it was going somewhere interesting so I had zero problems that it wasn't zipping along. And I say this as someone with little patience for slow paced movies and even less for slow art movies. For me to find it compelling is against the odds of past experience.
There are a lot of oblique, obscure and unexplained moments and scenes throughout the whole film. I thought the blanks were easy to fill in for myself. And I don't believe the makers have definitive answers or explanations anyway as to why or what had happened. Whatever I decided for myself was the right answer. It might frustrate people who want everything spelled out and explained. I'm sure there are more than a few viewers who are totally mystified by the Birdman relationship.*
Visually the movie is a little bland as it was mostly shot in masters only. This means that whole scenes were filmed in one fairly static unbroken long shot without any editing.... Read more ›
It's a very curious Australian art film that tells its "story" in an unconventional, deliberately flat and stately way. Do not expect dramatic fireworks or even much of a plot. Think Eyes Wide Shut directed by David Lynch. And if you're only watching it for sexual kicks then I recommend using your imagination with the Google search box instead. The movie is a little dirty, and it earns its eighteen certificate, but it's not a parade of top quality filth. It's probably also worth pointing out that it was written and directed by a woman so it's more erotic stories than perving at lingerie models.
Although the pace is a little slow I trusted that it was going somewhere interesting so I had zero problems that it wasn't zipping along. And I say this as someone with little patience for slow paced movies and even less for slow art movies. For me to find it compelling is against the odds of past experience.
There are a lot of oblique, obscure and unexplained moments and scenes throughout the whole film. I thought the blanks were easy to fill in for myself. And I don't believe the makers have definitive answers or explanations anyway as to why or what had happened. Whatever I decided for myself was the right answer. It might frustrate people who want everything spelled out and explained. I'm sure there are more than a few viewers who are totally mystified by the Birdman relationship.*
Visually the movie is a little bland as it was mostly shot in masters only. This means that whole scenes were filmed in one fairly static unbroken long shot without any editing.... Read more ›
35 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having read great reviews for this movie and watched the trailer, I was looking forward to watching this movie very much so.
However, not only was it ridiculously pretentious (normally a pretentious movie doesn't annoy me so much, but this was really pushing it), and it wasn't that I didn't understand the plot or the movie, there was no substance to it whatsoever. So it didn't even earn the right to be truly pretentious. It tries to be shocking with its themes of sexuality, with lines such as 'your vagina will be treated like a temple', and scenes such as those where Lucy is made to match her lipstick colour to her labia. However, they are unconvincing and almost comical in their eagerness to shock, but they are placed without either reason or relevance. I am a fan of films such as 'Belle de Jour', so it is not at all the case that I find such films uncomfortable or uncouth, Sleeping Beauty's sexual themes were just really boring.
The acting was terrible. I have watched several of the actors in other movies, where they really have been good, and so it was odd that they should fail for this one. Although I suppose that for a film with no character substance, depth or development, it can be quite hard to be convincing.
The movie goes into pointless subplots, such as Lucy's friendship with Birdie. Nothing is explained or developed in them, they just waste time and are equally dull.
I think the worst part of the film though was the fact that it genuinely had such potential. The main ideas behind it, the declining male sexual ego, the young, beautiful student unable to discover what happens to herself... it could have been a masterpiece.... Read more ›
However, not only was it ridiculously pretentious (normally a pretentious movie doesn't annoy me so much, but this was really pushing it), and it wasn't that I didn't understand the plot or the movie, there was no substance to it whatsoever. So it didn't even earn the right to be truly pretentious. It tries to be shocking with its themes of sexuality, with lines such as 'your vagina will be treated like a temple', and scenes such as those where Lucy is made to match her lipstick colour to her labia. However, they are unconvincing and almost comical in their eagerness to shock, but they are placed without either reason or relevance. I am a fan of films such as 'Belle de Jour', so it is not at all the case that I find such films uncomfortable or uncouth, Sleeping Beauty's sexual themes were just really boring.
The acting was terrible. I have watched several of the actors in other movies, where they really have been good, and so it was odd that they should fail for this one. Although I suppose that for a film with no character substance, depth or development, it can be quite hard to be convincing.
The movie goes into pointless subplots, such as Lucy's friendship with Birdie. Nothing is explained or developed in them, they just waste time and are equally dull.
I think the worst part of the film though was the fact that it genuinely had such potential. The main ideas behind it, the declining male sexual ego, the young, beautiful student unable to discover what happens to herself... it could have been a masterpiece.... Read more ›
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2.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
boring
i would have had more fun watching paint dry. this film was beyond boring. no plot and very little dialogue
Published 2 months ago by mrs. p
3.0 out of 5 stars
Defies description
Having recently attended ballet classes ( to help with my Parkinson's) and danced to Sleeping Beauty I searched Amazon for a DVD. I found this. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Icki Iqbal
1.0 out of 5 stars
I don't even understand this film...
This film kept on looking like it was going somewhere interesting, and it had lots of plot hooks that could have made for a great plot...but then... Read more
Published 2 months ago by K. Burton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Before she was dwarfed
A cracking film from down under .
This is Emily Browning at her best, one of Australia's most underrated stars. Read more
This is Emily Browning at her best, one of Australia's most underrated stars. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tony Henry
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting movie
In the beginning Sleeping Beauty seemed to be a bit sleepy but actually it turned out to be quite interesting and even exciting. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eva
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dissappointing
Lond winded drawn out storyline that didn't live up to expectations. The acting id good but I was glad when it was over.
Published 3 months ago by RayO
2.0 out of 5 stars
What was this about?
This is the most slowest movie of all time... and guess what, nothing happens. Apart from a few nasty, explicit scenes the movie is based on what I like to call, 'waffle'. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Greg
3.0 out of 5 stars
difficult to watch
fast delivery.was recommended by my friend but I found this film difficult to watch.
I feel asleep realy boring and no sense
I feel asleep realy boring and no sense
Published 3 months ago by agnieszka
5.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting drama
This film is a tough one to call. It's a disturbing drama that we follow Browning through. This film is a truly acquired taste. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bobby Player
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow.
An amazing film that left me feeling very drained but in a good way.
Emily Browning is an amazing actress in my opinion and this film really does show her talent.
Emily Browning is an amazing actress in my opinion and this film really does show her talent.
Published 4 months ago by Lady Lizzie
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