EMILY BROWNING gets in bed with the idea of prostitution.
By Krystal Lynn Mutschler
Western Sun associate editor
Class and taste is not something that most people would think of upon learning the premise of Julia Leigh’s debut movie “Sleeping Beauty.” With Emily Browning carrying the role with such finesse as the lost and alone femme-fatale character Lucy, you find yourself indulged into a world like none other.
Leigh treads carefully on the balancing beam between raunchy, and beauty, as this movie’s heavy topic of prostitution could easily have been done in poor taste. These sleeping beauties drink tea, loaded with heavy sedatives, placing them into a relaxing sleep, where men come in and are able to act out fantasies, under the pretense that they will not physically abuse, nor penetrate them.
Browning, in her first controversial role, took on the character of Lucy in every aspect that you forget that you are not watching a documentary, but a movie about a character. Although some of the script does leave room for confusion with the characters background stories never explained, this ends up being a good thing as it makes the movie that more real and intimate.
With all of the drinking, drug use, nudity, and strong subject matter, Leigh never makes the audience feel uncomfortable. Instead she leaves room for understanding not only the girls’ choices to do this, but also for some of the men who choose to pay for these services. One of these men, portrayed by Peter Carroll, delivers a monologue that is Oscar worthy.
Only two-short instrumental songs make up the entire score, filling the rest of the film with the sounds of every day background noise, bringing you that intimacy and making you feel as though you are watching closely in on someone’s twisted, surreal, fairy-tale life. Typically this would be a downfall; leaving the audience to completely rely on acting for any emotion towards characters given no music to drive certain emotions, proving to be another thing Leigh has done correctly.
‘Sleeping Beauty” is rated R
Our score: ****
