Chasing Sleep (2000)

Director: Michael Walker

Writer: Michael Walker

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Molly Price, Ben Shenkman, Gil Bellows, Michelle Held, Emily Bergl, Julian McMahon, Guy Sanville, Lisa Sodman Elzinga, Dennis North, Patrick Moug, Zach Grenier, Eros Biox, Tom Whalen

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The nightmare begins when you open your eyes...

Plot: A college professor wakes up to find his wife has not returned home, then struggles to understand her disappearance.

My rating:  7/10

Will I watch it again? No.

Whether or not you know or figure out what's going on, this is still a good, mysterious ride.  The performances are great but it's the journey, not the destination, that is the meat of this film.  Walker wrote and deftly directed a fine thriller that has you asking questions all the while you feel perfectly comfortable in waiting for the answers.  I don't want to spoil anything but it probably wouldn't make a difference.  It's a good film and one I'd never heard of until recently.  I'm glad I watched it.  For a thriller (and horror), it's quiet and relaxing which is something you don't see much in these genre.  Most thrillers strive to be shocking but they often leave me feeling cheated or insulted for not taking proper care with the material and go for a long game of tension in lieu of jump scares and one-dimensional puppets.  This is one that succeeds where a lot of them fail.