The Man Who Sleeps (1974)

Original title

Un homme qui dort

Directed by

Bernard Queysanne

Genre

drama film

Country

France

Runtime

1h 21m

Rating

7.8 of 10 from 138 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An unnamed university student stops attending classes and cuts off all contact with others. He tries to live like a machine without emotion, but paranoia grows and he eventually concludes life is pointless. He gives up isolation and goes back to ordinary life.

contemplativelonelybleakslowclaustrophobicdetachedintrospectivenihilistichypnotic

What happens

The Man Who Sleeps (French: Un homme qui dort) is a 1974 French drama film directed by Bernard Queysanne and Georges Perec, based on Perec's 1967 novel A Man Asleep. The story centers on an unnamed university student, referred to as "you" by the narrator, as he suddenly quits attending school, cuts off his friends, and attempts to lead a fully automaton-like life devoid of human interaction. His inner thoughts are narrated in the form of an unwritten diary by Ludmila Mikaël in the original French version, and Shelley Duvall in English. A sense of paranoia and claustrophobia develops until he ultimately determines that, no matter what he does, life is futile. As a result, he dismisses isolation as a radical practice, and returns to normal life. The film is the directorial debut of both Bernard Queysanne and Georges Perec. The film's script is borrowed completely from the text of the novel itself, though many parts were condensed to be brought to screen. The film was almost lost before being restored on DVD in 2007. The film was a small critical success, with reviewers citing its psychological drama and unique filmic structure. The film won the Prix Jean Vigo in 1974. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• La femme de Jean (1974)
• The Garden That Tilts (1974)
• My Little Loves (1974)
• The Others (1974)
• L'ironie du sort (1974)
• Women Women (1974)
• La Confession d'un enfant du siècle (1974)
• The Mouth Agape (1974)