Un Homme Qui Dort is a must-see if you're into experimental cinema, or if you're interested in films about mental health issues. The nameless protagonist, who never speaks, battles against his antagonists: his own depression, anxiety, and despair. A female voice-over expressively and poetically narrates his internal struggles and his aimless nocturnal peregrinations through Paris.
At times his solitude seems like a higher state, but eventually it becomes an intolerable prison. Towards the end, it seems the anti-hero's battles take on a political dimension, reflecting the perspectives of post-May '68 Situationist concepts: if capitalism is alienating, how can any sensitive person respond except by becoming alienated?
While the film works well, and has an effective dynamic arc, it's kind of amazing the creators were able to extend this well-constrained etude to a duration of 1 hour 17 minutes. Not a fun or joyful film, but a powerful one, and one I'm glad to have watched.
Review of The Man Who Sleeps
