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Gibert Chisholm

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Aug 4, 2024, 3:20:44 AM8/4/24

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House of the Sleeping Beauties: A Controversial and Pretentious Film

House of the Sleeping Beauties is a 2006 German film directed by and starring Vadim Glowna, based on the novel by Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. The film tells the story of an elderly man who visits a brothel where he can sleep next to young women who are drugged and unconscious. The film explores themes of loneliness, mortality, sexuality and guilt, but has been widely criticized for its misogyny, smut and boredom.

The film was released in limited theaters in 2008 and received mostly negative reviews from critics. It has a 28% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews, with an average score of 4.2/10[^1^]. Roger Ebert gave the film one star out of four, calling it "repugnant" and "offensive" to both sexes[^2^]. Nick Schager of Cinematical described it as "a paradigm of insufferable European art-house pretentiousness"[^3^]. The film also failed to impress audiences, earning only $4,500 at the US box office[^1^].

Despite its poor reception, the film has some supporters who appreciate its artistic and philosophical aspects. V.A. Musetto of New York Post gave the film three stars out of four, praising its "subtle difference" from typical erotic films. Some viewers also found the film to be sensual, low-key and mystical, as well as faithful to the original novel. The film also won the Best Director award at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2006.

House of the Sleeping Beauties is not a film for everyone. It is a controversial and pretentious film that may appeal to some fans of European art-house cinema, but may repel or bore most others. The film is available to watch on Indiepix Unlimited with Prime Video Channels, but it may be hard to find a torrent for it online.

The film is loosely based on the novel "Nemureru Bijo" by Yasunari Kawabata, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968. The novel was first published in 1961 and has been translated into several languages. The novel is considered a masterpiece of modern Japanese literature, and explores the themes of loneliness, death, eroticism and memory through the experiences of an old man who visits a house where young women sleep under the influence of a mysterious drug. The novel has been adapted into film three times: once in Japan in 1968, once in Spain in 2001, and once in Germany in 2006[^2^].

The film stars Vadim Glowna as Edmond, a wealthy and lonely widower who is haunted by the death of his wife and daughter in a car accident. He is introduced to a secret brothel by his friend Kogi (Maximilian Schell), where he can spend the night with young and beautiful women who are asleep and unaware of his presence. The brothel is run by Madame (Angela Winkler), who warns Edmond not to touch or harm the women, or he will face dire consequences. Edmond becomes obsessed with the sleeping beauties, who remind him of his lost loved ones and his own mortality. He also begins to have strange dreams and visions that blur the line between reality and fantasy.

The film is a slow-paced and atmospheric drama that relies heavily on dialogue and narration. The film features many scenes of nudity and sexuality, but also tries to convey a sense of mystery and poetry. The film uses music by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, as well as an original score by Nikolaus Glowna. The film also makes references to Greek mythology, such as the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and the legend of the sirens. The film has been compared to the works of Luis BuÃuel, Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch, as well as other films that deal with similar themes, such as Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Lost in Translation (2003).