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An urban legend suggests that in 1947 Soviet Russia performed an experiment in which five prisoners selected for being state enemies were kept in a chamber and asked to remain awake for 30 consecutive days. With the promise of freedom, the prisoners’ eagerness to stay awake would be administered by the use of gas stimulant. This experiment has numerous death reports, leading to it being classified as a failure. This is the basis for writer-director John Farrelly’s horror thriller debut film, The Sleep Experiment .
In the year 1961, scientist Christopher Sampson (Tom Kerrisk) of Porton Down, a science park located in England, is performing an experiment with prisoners Edward (Rob James Capel), Sean (Brian Moore), Luke (Will Murphy), Eric (Steven Jess), and Patrick (Sam McGovern) with the intention of claiming them as his test subjects. Edward is a murder suspect from an avenging death of a father, while Sean, the eager thief, killed children and wants to meet his aunt after losing his mother. Unassuming and seemingly innocent looking Eric is a secretive and disguised mysteries murder. Patrick is the most sane of them all but also the most mentally unstable.
At the same time, in 1976, two policemen, David (Anthony Murphy) and Robert (Barry John Kinsella), are probing Christopher’s experiment and Christopher’s experiment itself. Their probing is complemented by the ongoing gas chamber executions, with flashbacks detailing the activities that transpire day by day. The tale unfolds in five parts, depicting the wretched disintegration of every prisoner’s mind. The results are gruesome, savage, and, in the end, indisputable.
Over the span of four years, Farrelly, at the tender age of 22, worked on The Sleep Experiment, which he shot over 25 days. As a first effort, it is captivating on a technical scale. The first sequences have been well composed and the lighting is good, which has been done by Alice Hollingsworth. One of the highlights is the moment the prisoners are first shown in the chamber, hooded and introduced to the rules of the experiment. The camera pans 360 around the room during the speech, capturing the surrounding space’s minimalism. This is also hinting to the audience something else that is in store. Disappointingly, this type of promise is lost and never regained after the first half an hour.
On its own, the film and its premise seem to be genuine and actually very engaging in the beginning. That being said, the film is overly descriptive for its own good. So much exposition is given interspersed with Edward, Sean, Luke, Eric, Patrick and everyone else talking about the circumstances surrounding their arrests. There are some flashes of the prisoners while committing the crimes, but this is sorely lacking. Most concerning, the out-of-control music means that discerning what anyone is saying is made very difficult indeed.
Even though the ending was very disturbing, it contained a lot of exposition that was poorly written and difficult to follow. This, like the investigation scenes, appear to be problematic. One of the cops is apparently related to one of the prisoners, but this was never elaborated or explained subsequently for the entire duration of the movie. Who this prisoner is and why this character matters would have actually intrigued the audience.
Along with everything that is good in The Sleep Experiment, there a lot of things which are not satisfactory. Some of the moving parts are well received, while others simply fall flat. Farrelly is clear in knowing what he wants as a director, and he effectively handles his cast. The same goes for him and Hollingsworth with the visuals of the movie. The script and the story itself is where the film stumbles most, ridding the audience of much needed shock at the end. Keep watching this filmmaker, as Farrelly, for all his faults, does seem to be finding his footing.
To watch more movies like Kept Awake for 30 Days: Soviet Sleep Experiment (2019) visit 123Movies.
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