Review of Sleepwalking (2008) by Christine C — 01 Apr 2008

Among the films that may not hit your radar but are definitely deserving of your attention is Sleepwalking by director Bill Maher and screenplay writer Zac Stanford. This sleeper of family drama stars Nick Stahl, AnnaSophia Robb, Charlize Theron, Dennis Hopper and Woody Harrelson.

Feeling like an indie with a star studded cast, Sleepwalking is the story of a woman named Joleen (Theron, who also dons a producer cap for this project) whose latest relationship has disintergrated when her boyfriend is arrested in a drug raid.

She takes her 12 year old daughter Tara (Robb) away from their police-ransacked home and looks to her simple brother James (Stahl) for a place to stay. When Joleen takes off with a trucker, James tries to juggle his road crew job with friends like Randall (Harrelson) with raising a near-teenage girl in his dilapidated apartment.

Things spiral out of control, ultimately leaving him homeless, unemployed and visiting his niece in a foster care group home until James makes the decision to return to the family home that he and Joleen fled from many years ago and the father (Hopper) he left behind.

Brilliant in itâ??s simplicity, Sleepwalking delves with sensitivity into the bond of siblings, parents and making oneâ??s own way in the world.