Review of Sleeping Beauty (2011) by Jules E — 18 Oct 2011

Sleeping Beauty hits a lot of right points yet misses a huge number also. Julia Leigh does a great job in her debut. I was particularly drawn to the cold atmosphere she created. The art direction is perfect and Emily Browning gives an excellent performance that deserves recognition. Her beauty is out of a painting. The film succeeds in shocking, not like Eyes Wide Shut and not even close to Salo, but it does that.

However the main problem here is the screenplay. It raises lots of issues with few being answered and dealt with. And it relies too much on open conclusion in every aspect leaving the viewer clueless. It's nice to create a mystery but it's even nicer to solve it.