“Somnium” Blurs the Lines Between Dream and Nightmare

Dreams are curious. The tenuous time between our waking days can sometimes be filled with happy memories or our greatest ambitions. But sometimes dreams are haunted by the monsters that lurk in our deepest fears. Sleep is when our minds work to process our experiences and we have little control over the content of our dreams. But what if there was a way to control what we see? Could we harness the power of dreams to guide us to a better life? That’s the premise of Racheal Cain’s Somnium, a psychological thriller exploring the darkness of the human mind. Set at a nefarious sleep clinic, this story has elements of pure terror and plays with the idea of consensual reality. But a sentimental plotline pushes fascinating elements of the story to the side leaving us with a fairly standard quest for stardom. 

Gemma (Chloë Levine) is a small town girl who’s just moved to L.A. in hopes of becoming a star. To make ends meet while pounding the pavement, she takes a job at Somnium, a sleep clinic renowned for using dream technology to inspire confidence and success in the waking world. As the new sleep-sitter, Gemma’s job is to monitor the subjects every night on the graveyard shift. The hours are long, but the job is easy and will allow her time to rehearse and plan for auditions during the day. But alone in the dark center, Gemma catches glimpses of a mysterious creature lurking in the darkened rooms. As she tries to differentiate between fantasy and reality, Gemma learns that there may be even more sinister monsters haunting the halls of the Somnium clinic. 

Levine anchors the film with an endearing performance and accessible charm, exuding the naive girl-next-door quality her character hopes will launch her to stardom. However, by following this character so closely, we miss out on some of the story’s more unnerving elements. Noah (Will Peltz), the lead dream architect, is a monotonous intellectual with questionable views on manipulation and consent. Alternately off-putting and endearing, he shows Gemma the ropes but questions arise about the content of his work. How much power does he hold over his patients and is he someone Gemma should trust? Noah’s actions and motivations are perhaps the most intriguing part of the story, but they’re sidelined by Gemma’s emotional journey. 

Johnathon Schaech makes an appearance as an older, influential member of the Hollywood scene and offers to help Gemma get her foot in the door. But we’re never sure where his intentions lie and he disappears without making much of an impact on the story. Similarly Grace Van Dien is memorable as a dejected starlet on the edge of giving up, but just a few short scenes with her leave us wondering why she’s included in the narrative. Flashbacks to Gemma leaving her hometown make up a significant portion of the story, featuring Peter Vack as her ex-boyfriend Hunter. The two have strong chemistry and these scenes feel like the heart of the film, but they frequently take us away from the more intriguing plotline. 

Somnium feels like two separate films: a neophyte actress fumbling her way towards stardom and a sinister clinic preying on patients. We’ve seen similar rise-to-fame stories before and it’s frustrating to spend so much time with this well-worn narrative while an intriguing sci-fi horror story waits in the wings. Noah hints at the power his position holds, but we never really get to see this horror play out. We also learn about the downside of these experimental treatments – a program called Cloud Nine that results when a patient’s mind breaks under the strain. This vague threat looms over the clinic, but we don’t get many details. A lurking monster feels similarly vague. Has this creature emerged from the Somnium program or is it wholly a manifestation of Gemma’s fears? Each time we get close to learning more about the center or what Noah is doing while his patients sleep, we’re pulled back into another flashback from Gemma’s hometown. 

Though frustratingly jumbled, both stories are excellently crafted. Cain successfully navigates both narrative threads and presents many thought-provoking horrors in the shadowy clinic. Unfortunately the film’s fixation on Gemma’s past and her struggle to overcome her own insecurities keep us from fully understanding this world. The story of a young woman trying to make it in Hollywood is presented as more interesting and important than a sinister dream thief meddling with the minds of his patients. Despite these frustrations, strong performances, an endearing lead, and a deft directorial hand keep us engaged in what is a well-constructed and interesting film. It’s just frustrating to get so close to these tantalizing stories that never reach fruition. Ultimately we’re left with the feeling of waking up from an unfinished dream and desperately trying to go back to sleep to capture the rest of the story.

Jenn Adams is a writer, podcaster, and film critic from Nashville, TN. Find her social media nonsense @jennferatu.