My favourite form of horror films are those the place the terrors onscreen are a automobile for the bigger themes and concepts the movie is exploring. Horror films in 2025 have been full of loads of thrilling, expressive tales exploring grief, household, trauma, and quite a few different concepts. Somnium is not any totally different, however presents a novel story with a deeper focus fully its personal.
Somnium follows Gemma (Chloë Levine), a down-on-her-luck aspiring actor who’s doing every thing she will to land a task, regardless of financial and social difficulties. Her transfer from a small city in Georgia to Los Angeles has left her in search of work between auditions. That is the place she discovers Somnium, an experimental group run by three folks learning desires.
Gemma’s job is straightforward: are available in at evening, watch the cameras, and ensure all operations are working easily. However what makes the movie so distinctive is that this traditional horror film setup is not the complete focus. As a substitute, her makes an attempt at touchdown a task whereas struggling financially and emotionally are the core tenants of the movie. It makes the exploration of the terrors that unfold all of the stronger, particularly due to the unorthodox means they’re portrayed.
Somnium Is Extra Symbolic Than Scary & It Works
Maybe it is as a result of I’ve seen quite a few horror films already this yr, from the spectacular It Feeds to the lackluster Push, however I wasn’t too scared by the slow-burn terrors of Somnium. The movie does an exceptional job laying the groundwork for what is going on on as the larger implications of the group’s work is explored. Nonetheless, none of it feels personally linked to Gemma initially outdoors a couple of cryptic scenes.
As a substitute, the movie’s preliminary focus of her attempting to realize a profession in performing stays its major lens. Her struggles to realize her metaphorical desires weave into the story of the true desires Somnium is learning. Their experiments even have necessary ties to the thought of desires as occasions and desires as concepts being related. It is a considerate method that makes use of horror film motifs to discover an virtually philosophical notion of what a “dream” actually is.
That is elevated by flashbacks to Gemma’s life in Georgia, notably detailing her relationship along with her crush, Hunter (Peter Vack). Their interactions with each other really feel life like whereas nonetheless being necessary sides of the bigger themes at work. Seeing how her story again residence performed out solely serves to emphasise the explanations she’s attempting to turn into an actor, whereas coalescing with the hardships she faces.
The previous and current’s analysis of desires is made all the higher due to robust performances. Whereas everybody does an incredible job of their roles, it is actually Levine’s Gemma that really brings the film collectively. The mounting desperation of her makes an attempt to turn into an actor coupled with the mysterious occasions at Somnium showcase her sluggish evolution all through the film. It is a fascinating efficiency that strengthens her characterization and its that means inside the bigger story.
As for everybody else, their performances service the story nicely, with the standout ones being Vack’s Hunter within the flashbacks and Will Pletz’s Noah, Gemma’s co-worker who reveals her the ropes at her in a single day place. Not solely are each excellent for the roles they’re solid in, however their interactions with the determined actor-to-be elevates her story as nicely, weaving into her life simply as a lot as the fear of the tangible and intangible.
Somnium Performs To Its Character-Pushed Strengths
All of the performances, particularly from Levine, Pletz, and Vack, emphasize how Somnium is a character-driven narrative. The terrifying parts of the film have a decidedly human really feel to them, notably due to how they intersect with the bigger story being advised. The terrors encountered have a that means that was immediately apparent to me, and the movie spends time exploring what these imply not simply bodily, however mentally too.
The one disadvantage this has is an occasional feeling that the film is caught in a spiral. Whereas this advantages the development of Gemma’s character because the movie’s occasions unfold, they’ll additionally really feel considerably round in presentation. Fortunately, it is by no means a drag, at all times including parts to its story development that construct upon Gemma’s anxiousness over the trail her dream has taken her on.
The horror parts of Somnium are usually not as highly effective as different films which have come out this yr. However, with a powerful, character-focused story and fascinating, symbolic parts that tie into its fearful moments, the film affords a balancing act of commentary concerning the wrestle of desires. Aided by the lens of an business so few make it by way of unscathed, the movie sends potent messages about notion of 1’s actuality and the way desires, tangible or not, can impression their experiences.
Somnium is now available for purchase and lease on digital.
Somnium
7/10
- Launch Date
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June 22, 2024
- Runtime
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90 minutes
- Somnium offers a symbolic take a look at desires and their weaving into actuality.
- Chloë Levine’s standout efficiency makes Gemma’s plight all of the extra empathetic.
- Thought not notably scary, the horror parts imparted related significance to the story.
- Plot often felt caught in a circle, managing to tug itself out by the final act.