Having seen so many independent entries into the realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy over the years, I have lost count of them but occasionally one resonates and will remain active in some distant corner of my brain. 2008's Sleep Dealer is one of those features: while I don't distinctly recall all of its details, I fondly remember thinking it was exactly the kind of smaller flick that indie types should be spending their time with ... a compelling yarn with science and commerce gone a bit awry firmly against an examination of the human condition.
Alas -- if IMDB.com is any indication -- writer/director Alex Rivera really didn't ride the wave of success to anything reasonably similar in reputation. (Folks, that's not an insult; it's just that people like me who write about these projects for a living do hope to see budding auteurs ascend even higher with the next and their next and their next forays into films, and methinks we're honestly surprised when that doesn't happen.) Dealer definitely put the man on the creative map; in fact, I do recall thinking at the time it was the kind of yarn that Hollywood might very well get its mitts into and attempt to rework -- albeit with a bigger budget and grander marquee names -- but that I'm aware of no such remake/rehash/reboot has come to pass. That's a shame to a degree, though I also wonder if more money thrown at a great idea might only cheapen the experience.
In any event, here's the plot summary for the SciFi/Thriller as provided by the good people at IMDB.com:
"The near future. Like tomorrow. In a world marked by closed borders, corporate warriors, and a global computer network, three strangers risk their lives to connect, break through the barriers of technology, and unseal their fates."
For what it's worth, I saw the project as tinkering a bit with classism the way Science Fiction can smartly do from time-to-time, showing us an entire class of people made faceless as workers who were taxed with essentially keeping our world running but being constantly denied the benefits of those labors. (Yeah, yeah, yeah: I realize that sounds a bit Communist in many ways, and yet it's an authentic aspect of many, many great stories.) I don't recall all the specifics regarding the main character's personal struggle -- there was an element in his past history that kinda/sorta felt a bit too 'preachy' that I won't go into -- but the film was still a quick trip into a nightmarish prospect for the near-future ... the one lurking in wait just right around the corner.
Well done.
Alas -- if IMDB.com is any indication -- writer/director Alex Rivera really didn't ride the wave of success to anything reasonably similar in reputation. (Folks, that's not an insult; it's just that people like me who write about these projects for a living do hope to see budding auteurs ascend even higher with the next and their next and their next forays into films, and methinks we're honestly surprised when that doesn't happen.) Dealer definitely put the man on the creative map; in fact, I do recall thinking at the time it was the kind of yarn that Hollywood might very well get its mitts into and attempt to rework -- albeit with a bigger budget and grander marquee names -- but that I'm aware of no such remake/rehash/reboot has come to pass. That's a shame to a degree, though I also wonder if more money thrown at a great idea might only cheapen the experience.
In any event, here's the plot summary for the SciFi/Thriller as provided by the good people at IMDB.com:
"The near future. Like tomorrow. In a world marked by closed borders, corporate warriors, and a global computer network, three strangers risk their lives to connect, break through the barriers of technology, and unseal their fates."
For what it's worth, I saw the project as tinkering a bit with classism the way Science Fiction can smartly do from time-to-time, showing us an entire class of people made faceless as workers who were taxed with essentially keeping our world running but being constantly denied the benefits of those labors. (Yeah, yeah, yeah: I realize that sounds a bit Communist in many ways, and yet it's an authentic aspect of many, many great stories.) I don't recall all the specifics regarding the main character's personal struggle -- there was an element in his past history that kinda/sorta felt a bit too 'preachy' that I won't go into -- but the film was still a quick trip into a nightmarish prospect for the near-future ... the one lurking in wait just right around the corner.
Well done.
As can happen with some wonderfully made independent features, Sleep Dealer garnered a good amount of praise from the professional audiences who discovered it and appreciated what it did with its complicated subject matter. Its appearance at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival was its most storied as the writing team of Rivera and David Riker took home trophies in both the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. (Rivera missed out -- having to settle for nomination's honor alone -- in the Dramatic Category of the festival's Grand Jury Prize.) Furthermore, throughtout 2008, the film screened at a solid handful of venues, often the recipient of solid praise from the onlookers. (For a complete rundown, I encourage readers to check out the film's IMDB.com awards page right here.)
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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