Deep Sleep (Deep Sleep) is an Argentine film directed by Luciano Onetti, here making his debut in the directing booth. Among other things, Luciano Onetti wrote the film's subject, co-wrote the screenplay with Daiana Garcia and is also the director of photography, while his brother Nicolas Onetti handled production (Guante Negro Films).
Deep Sleep is a clear homage to the Italian giallo genre, in particular, to the cinema of Dario Argento. References to Argento's filmography are visible from the beginning and throughout the film: important and well-presented elements that make it an almost manic tribute to Argento's giallo, of which there is a distinct predilection for "Profondo Rosso."
As in the old 70s movies, even Deep Sleep is dense with subjective shots. It is the serial killer's hands that are the real protagonists of this film. Covered in leather gloves, they touch objects almost obsessively and, holding knives or razor blades, slowly approach the victims while the killer's eyes become those of the viewer. It is an almost silent film of which the killer's actions are the focal point of the story.
The sequences of murders such as that of prostitute Monica Mele are appreciable, although more heinousness in carrying them out would certainly have improved the final rendering of the action. Also noteworthy is how the color and consistency of the blood sprung from the wounds inflicted on the bodies is similar to that found in the Roman director's famous films.
A meticulous work therefore that carried out by Luciano Onetti, who not only traced the cult films of the past by re-proposing the same modus operandi of the assassin, the subjective shots and certain argentian elements (dolls, drawings, cutting weapons) typical of his films but also cloaked his debut film with a retro photography that helps give to Deep Sleep a perfect vintage halo.
Looking at the movie in fact, one has the impression of viewing a film in full 1970s style, thanks also to the excellent soundtrack (by Luciano Onetti himself) that embellishes the film and becomes its backbone. Powerful, enthralling and enveloping music in fact is the component that gives depth to this Argentine film.
The gratifying feeling of having in front of one's eyes a film that worthily retraces the glories of Dario Argento's cinema, however, briefly leaves room for a slight sense of boredom when at a certain point in the story one has the impression of observing only the gestures made by the killer's gloved hands, probably due to an abused use of subjective shots, a situation focused almost exclusively on the protagonist's gestures and absent dialogues.
Surely dampening a stalemate is the inclusion of another character, barely sketched in the plot, whose hands are seen only covered by latex gloves. In fact, the story centers on a serial killer, a man haunted by memories of his childhood, who receives an anonymous envelope containing photos of the murder he himself committed. The mysterious white-gloved character, traceable to the sender of the mysterious envelope, thus stimulates the imagination of the viewer whose curiosity will be satisfied in the last sequence.
The unexpected and extraordinary ending gives meaning to all those visionary and meaningless images, as well as to the "flawed" and strange actions performed by the killer and placed in the various corners of the story. Indeed, particular interest was aroused by the care with which artificial flowers are treated, care that is usually given to real plants. Not to be outdone are the sequences of the drawing of "blood" done to a doll, a liquid used in the preparation of a morphine cocktail and tablets, as well as the inability to open the locker lock ... all these distorted images and deformed actions are actually traceable to a clarifying ending well thought out in detail.
Deep Sleep is a good homage to the Italian giallo genre, a film that marks Luciano Onetti's debut in the world of cinema with dignity. His passion for the famous films of the Roman director shines through in this film, to which he was able to add a personal twist to the story. Nor does the film's vintage feel, represented not only by the cinematography and the type of shots but also by the clothing and the meticulous search for objects and furnishings of yesteryear, go unnoticed. Not to mention the magnificent soundtrack that completely envelops this work becoming almost the protagonist just as the Goblin music did in Dario Argento's films.
Deep Sleep was filmed in Italian and its running time is about 65 minutes. The cast also includes the director, Luciano Onetti, in the role of the murderer. Daiana GarcÃa and Silvia Duhalde play Francesca and Monica, respectively.
Onetti's film has been screened at major genre film festivals, including Sitges. In 2013 it received awards including Best Film at the Hemoglozine, Best Foreign Film at Horrorquest, and Best Music at the Tabloid Witch Awards.
