Chasing Sleep

Ed Saxon (Jeff Daniels) is having a rough time. Ed's wife Eve is missing, the police don't seem to know where she is, and his house is having some serious plumbing problems. Worst of all, Ed cannot seem to fall asleep. His insomnia seems to be getting worse, insomnia caused by a horrific crime, a crime Ed may have had a hand in…
Not a true horror movie but more of a drama with horrific elements, Chasing Sleep is a character study about a man battling his personal demons. We see Ed dealing with the horror of his situation, a situation that I will not fully describe for fear of spoiling the movie. An English Professor at a local university, Ed is so disturbed by his wife's disappearance that he doesn't leave his house, not even for work. As the movie is focused entirely on Ed, it too never leaves the house. While it may sound boring to watch a movie about a man who stays home all day, the film is quite good at bringing the world to Ed's doorstep. We get to watch a small parade of characters show up at Ed's residence, including a handful of detectives, a psychiatrist, and some of Ed and Eve's own friends. When the movie isn't trying to figure out what happened to Eve, or showing Ed's mental journey into hell, it gives us two subplots. Chasing Sleep is a movie full of quality performances, most notably the one given by Jeff Daniels, who anchors the entire film. His Ed is both sympathetic and loathsome. We see Ed do disturbing things, and at other times, we are moved by his genuine sadness and regret. Daniels is in good company, as most of the other performers also do well. Emily Bergl is endearing as the young college student Sadie, and also blesses the male viewers with a topless scene. Jeff Daniels may have turned you down Emily, but this jaded lunatic never would. Gil Bellows and Zach Grenier give convincing performances as Det. Derm and Geoffry the psychiatrist, respectively. Good job fellas. Julian McMahon (Dr. Doom in this summer's questionable Fantastic Four movie) isn't particularly good as George Simian, but he's not particularly bad either.There is some impressive cinematography on display here, especially involving shots of darkness. The camera pulls into the darkness in one scene, only to pull out of the darkness of a completely different scene. Its a simple effect, but beautiful all the same. For viewers who like their horror upfront, this isn't the movie for you. This is a subtle, artsy film, similar to the work of David Lynch. There are a few good moments of horror, but they're contained in a movie that is centered around the inner workings of a single character.