Worm

The world has a sleep problem and it has been so long since people have had dreams, even longer since they had great dreams, that anything will do to get them to sleep. Along comes a box of sleeping tricks called Fantasites. These are the worm dreams that slip easily into the ear but might these worms be the creeping nightmares that sliver in the night...

I would always stand alongside the indie, low budget, low fi film maker over the corporate squash when it comes to film. Worm is a simple, yet well told story of the ills of losing an essential human trait. It is a classic fable with a moral. The spiritual void of losing sleep means people try to fill that void with something that replicates this emotion. This device seems a little mis handled at first with the jarring news cut ins but they are actually clever ways of cutting time and exposition.

The film has a flex in it that made me recall THe Lost Weekend but it has notes of harsh satire that is clever and clean enough to overcome despair. Much like the addict or the holic it plays on the human and the films credit is that it focuses on a man that just wants to be normal and have this dependence eased. Director Mallette uses pace and economy within his scenes, which is a blessing. He also balances focus on said holic man with the desperation to be normal, with the disconnection of those in position of benefitting from the newly found sleep 'cure'.

The film connects across the audience because it has a effective way of packaging its story but also has the weight to run along. Well told and well played the disc has little extra but the film is a fresh stand on a tale that has been around the houses often and forever.