An apartment concierge Cesar has a personality disorder unknown to the tenants of the building. Cesar goes extremes to make himself happy, drugging a young woman each night to be close to her with murderous consequences.
Alberto Marini's screenplay is reminiscent of Hammer's The Resident however whereas The Resident was a satisfying stalker film, Mientras Duermes (Sleep Tight) elevates tension to another level without a sell out Hollywood ending.
Thanks to Luis Tosar's great delicate performance as Cesar and Marta Etura's likable Clara Sleep Tight is a rounded thriller. It's character driven and is as chilling and infatuation creepy as they come. From a school girl blackmailing Cesar, and Clara's boyfriend turning up, to Cesars intense and nasty conversation with an ageing dog owner and boss to name few there are moments littered throughout to help keep the picture on edge not just him hiding under a bed, and using Clara's tooth brush reminiscent of The Resident.
It has an on location feel (the look of the apartment is that of REC and REC2) with a naturalistic supporting cast of actors. Although elements have been done before,the insect infestation for example Jaume Balagueró delivers a crafted chiller, possibly one of the best of its sub-genre.
It's a twisted psychological tale with some great acting and directing. Recommended.
