Probably the most low key film I saw at Sundance earlier this year was The Sleepwalker, Mona Fastvold's tense, sibling rivalry thriller that earned solid reviews at the festival. Starring Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott (Girls), the ubiquitous Brady Corbet (Funny Games), and Stephanie Ellis, the story centers on a young couple who are rebuilding her family home when the unexpected arrival of her sister and fiancee bring about old secrets. Here's the official synopsis:
Shocking family secrets shatter a woman's quiet country life in this psychosexual thriller. Young couple Kaia (Gitte Witt) and Andrew (Christopher Abbott) spend their days restoring her family's sprawling rural estate. Their peace is upended one night when Kaia's emotionally disturbed sister Christine (Stephanie Ellis) shows up unexpectedly, followed by her distraught boyfriend (Brady Corbet). As Christine's behavior grows increasingly unhinged—including an unsettling incident of sleepwalking—long-buried traumas resurface. With a haunting score by Sondre Lerche, director Mona Fastvold keeps the tension mounting as this provocative nerve-jangler reaches fever pitch.
Most appreciated the slow burning tension, and while I never got around to reviewing the film formally, I recall the slow burn being a bit too slow for my tastes, and that comes through in the newly-released trailer. The Sleepwalker hits VOD on Nov. 21st.
