Sleep Tight – Mientras duermes (2011)

Directed by: Jaume Balaguero | 96 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Luis Tosar, Marta Etura, Alberto San Juan, Petra Martínez, Pep Tosar, Carlos Lasarte, Tony Corvillo, Iris Almeida, Rubèn Ametllé, Manel Dueso, Oriol Genís, Amparo Fernández, Xavier Pujolràs, Roger Morilla, Dolors Vidal, Margarita Rosed

In the opening scenes of ‘Sleep Tight’ (‘Mientras duermes’) we hear a radio helpline, where people pour out their hearts at night when they are in some way spiritual need. It is 5 o’clock in the morning, a man gets up, silently leaves the bed and the beautiful young Clara (Marta Etura) in it and goes downstairs in the same building.

That man is Cesar (Luis Tosar). He is the concierge in the luxurious apartment building. He then has his dustcoat on and is virtually ignored at his workplace (the reception) in his simple function by the passing residents. It turns out that César actually lives in a poor and shabby little house at the bottom of the complex. When Clara later comes out of the elevator, it soon becomes clear that there is more going on and that César has a lot to hide. How does he get to the side of this beautiful young woman, who treats him kindly and cordially as the concierge and no more than that.

César has a very nasty character trait. He is the type of person who is incapable of being happy himself and who thrives on giving other people – and therefore also the residents of the building – as much misery as possible (without of course suspecting that he is the cause of it). ). Even his mother in the hospital who can no longer speak is not safe from a nasty form of his sickly bullying.

César is obsessively in love with the beautiful Clara, who already has a boyfriend. She is completely unaware of his love for her. César does not shy away from any means to achieve his goal and even hides under Clara’s bed and intoxicates her so that he can lie next to her until the next morning. When a girl next door sees him leaving Clara’s house in the morning, things get increasingly out of hand. The girl blackmails him and he decides to take revenge on everything and everyone for his own misfortune. The events degenerated into a downturn. Can he save himself from there or is the doom complete? What surprises does he still conjure up from his devil’s hat?

Obsessive love in combination with a morbid desire to destroy the happiness of others create an atmosphere in which events develop in a bizarre way. Both Luis Tosar and Marta Etura play their roles with gusto. However, their characters come to fruition to a lesser extent. The story is more about what César does than his motives. As a result, the depth is somewhat less effective. However, the story of ‘Sleep Tight’ is entertaining. Fortunately, the developments and the ending are not very predictable, so that the attention is sufficiently held, even if it ripples a bit on a few moments. At the end, César has another bizarre surprise in store for Clara.