Film Critic: Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling
Crime haunts South Africa. We live on the edge to stay one step ahead of what feels like an unofficial tax for inhabiting such a beautiful country. Being grateful that we’re alive (and insured) is how we get by, yet the true toll of that collective trauma and stress remains a mystery.
Sleeper’s Wake deals with the darker, primal urges of living in a seemingly lawless land where citizens are confronted with the unthinkable and pushed to the edge. We meet John Wraith, a writer whose family has been violently taken from him. He retreats to a cabin in Nature’s Cove to navigate his grief and recuperate from the tragedy, but he soon discovers he is not the only one seeking refuge there.
Barry Berk’s debut feature shows incredible promise, deftly handling an adaptation of Alistair Morgan’s novel to create a powerful, haunting, and slow-burning thriller. The film carries the atmospheric weight of The Gift and the primal instinct of The Hunter, entrenching itself in the murky mysteries of human nature against a stunning natural backdrop.
Lionel Newton stars as John Wraith, a guilt-stricken husband and father cursed with a physical scar on his forehead. Newton is pensive as a likable yet tragic character who tries to drown out his deep-seated grief and disconnectedness by defaulting to animal instincts. He is supported by the stalwart Deon Lotz, whose mere presence adds immediate gravity as a devoutly religious man and struggling father. Jay Anstey’s bold supporting role as a reckless daughter adds angst and a sense of danger, leveraging her natural beauty to create palpable friction.
While the lead performances are solid, the treatment of minor characters is occasionally bothersome. Stiaan Smith’s part feels underdeveloped, and his take on the local security officer seems slightly off-centre for the film’s somber tone. Bayo Jwayi is effective as Doreen – a character “time bomb” that feels unfortunately mis-wired in the script – while Luke Tyler’s role as a detached teenager is good but ghostly, relegating a young talent to a lost subplot.
The film is beautifully shot, swathing its mystery in a Terrence Malick-esque affinity for the wild. From the opening credits, the cinematography carries the story like a vision without leaning heavily on dialogue. The lush vegetation and rugged coastline convey the emotional undercurrent through strong symbolism and lucid flashbacks. This is complemented by a soundtrack that creates a foreboding atmosphere, ratcheting up the menace with an understated, haunting soundscape. We are gently lured into the writer’s retreat, never fully welcome but always aware of the impending devastation.
The narrative is admittedly jagged. While the lack of “spoon-feeding” is refreshing, the pacing feels jerky in spots. However, as a slow-boiling mystery, it delivers in the third act- taking what seems inevitable and turning it on its head. After a series of erotic interludes and rising tension, the film finally implodes with a cacophony of unbridled violence. Barry Berk has elevated South African cinema with Sleeper’s Wake. While flawed, the filmmakers handle a difficult subject with great dexterity, delivering a story with raw staying power and fearless emotional weight.
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