I Can't Sleep (1994)

I Can't Sleep is a creepily brilliant film from director Claire Denis, who, along with Chantal Akerman, is making some of the most disturbingly original films today. Denis burst on the international film scene with her 1988 film Chocolat, and after a string of films barely released in the United States, created the stunning and disquieting I Can't Sleep (J'ai Pas Sommeil), which centers on the activities of two nocturnal serial killers who terrorize Paris, who murder elderly women in their apartments in "push-in" robberies. Despite the sordid subject matter, the film doesn't fall into the usual mold of the serial killer film. Denis is more interested in the lives of her two killers, and in the non-reaction of most Parisians, who go about their business while the headlines play up the grisly details of the killings. Part of the film takes place in the gay subculture of Paris' nightclubs and cafes; other sections of the film focus on a young woman who has drifted into Paris from Lithuania, and waits for something to happen while she supports herself with a menial job. As with Chantal Akerman's films, it is precisely what doesn't happen in the film that generates the greatest audience interest: the lack of chase scenes, the nonexistence of typical suspense intercutting, and above all the sense of everyday mundanity in all things, which often occur without any reason or explanation. Denis' biggest U.S. hit is undoubtedly the superb Billy Budd adaptation Beau Travail (1999), which got a fairly wide arthouse break in major cities. Much of Denis' most accomplished work, including The Intruder (L'Intrus, 2004), plays only at festivals, and never appears on DVD. This is a shame, because Denis' vision is absolutely unique, and deeply felt, and deserves a wider audience. Happily, I Can't Sleep is readily available on DVD, and is highly recommended. ~ Wheeler Winston Dixon, All Movie Guide