Sleeping Pills (2003 film)
Encyclopedia
Sleeping Pills is a film written and directed by Michael Lauter, which tells the story of a young man who struggles to find his place in an ephemeral
landscape.
, gets a job with a cutting-edge transportation company, Dymotran (Dynamic Modular Transportation), and develops a romantic interest in his attractive new boss and EVP
, Charlotte. Having presented himself to his new employers as a square-toed professional, Tarika is embarrassed when Charlotte discovers that his closest friends are playful misfits with little to no professional aspirations. In spite of apparent compatibility issues, Tarika and Charlotte begin to develop a relationship. Tarika reconsiders his choice of friends after his on-again off-again love interest, Tricia, makes out with Kevin, his close friend and proverbial ringmaster
, during a surreal birthday party in a kitschy Mexican restaurant (complete with cliff divers and Mariachi
bands).
Tarika struggles to decide which life suits him best and as is his tendency, develops somewhat of an over-attachment to Charlotte. After an untimely marriage proposal to Charlotte, who is focused on her career and not ready to settle down, Tarika is dumped. In his bitterness and hurt, Tarika resigns from work on Dymotran's sustaining project, the development of a futuristic, modular transportation system. This places Charlotte and her company in jeopardy and Charlotte confronts Tarika in the parking lot as he leaves the office for the last time. This encounter erupts into a full-blown screaming match and eventually ends with Charlotte admitting that she loves Tarika. After a final plea from Charlotte for Tarika to reconsider his decision, he agrees to give two more weeks to the job and in return, Charlotte agrees to be open-minded about a future with Tarika.
Taking breaks from his final work on the project, Tarika visits many buildings and public spaces of 60's and 70's Modernist origin, the architecture and design of which serves as inspiration for much of his work. At every turn, another one of these spaces is boarded up and bulldozed. This builds upon the predominant theme
of Sleeping Pills, whereby the entities and images forming ones identity are crushed without remorse in favor of new and improved versions. These images serve as a metaphor
for the ephemeral home, relationship, and sense of self that can be seen as a consequence of a Postmodern society.
Tarika is reunited with the old gang for a final roller skating
session at the FunPlex, a large roller rink
and game arcade
scheduled for demolition the following week. Soon after, Tarika meets up with Tricia at the court yard of their old high school (an odd building with no windows) where Tricia reveals that she is leaving the area for good and asks Tarika to run away with her.
The plot culminates with Tarika having to make a decision to either run away with the unpredictable and fun Tricia or stay and attempt to build a life with a more stable, yet seemingly incompatible Charlotte.
and Littleton
(where the notorious Columbine High School massacre
took place). Shooting began May 1999 with completion of principal photography in November 1999 and completion of second unit filming in February 2000. Post-production
was completed in October 2003 and the film premiered at The Cairo International Film Festival
the same month. The North America
n premier was December 4, 2003 in Denver. Since then, the film has been shown in limited circulation in theaters around the US.
Over half of the building locations where Sleeping Pills was shot have been demolished, including Bigg's Hypermarket and Villa Italia Shopping Mall, a fact which gives emphasis to the film's underlying theme.
.
Ephemeral
Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....
landscape.
Plot
Tarika, a supposed expert in applied probabilityApplied probability
Much research involving probability is done under the auspices of applied probability, the application of probability theory to other scientific and engineering domains...
, gets a job with a cutting-edge transportation company, Dymotran (Dynamic Modular Transportation), and develops a romantic interest in his attractive new boss and EVP
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
, Charlotte. Having presented himself to his new employers as a square-toed professional, Tarika is embarrassed when Charlotte discovers that his closest friends are playful misfits with little to no professional aspirations. In spite of apparent compatibility issues, Tarika and Charlotte begin to develop a relationship. Tarika reconsiders his choice of friends after his on-again off-again love interest, Tricia, makes out with Kevin, his close friend and proverbial ringmaster
Ringmaster
The term ringmaster may refer to numerous things:*Ringmaster , the leader of a circus* Ringmaster , the manager of a horse show ring*Ringmaster , a film starring Jerry Springer and Jaime Pressly...
, during a surreal birthday party in a kitschy Mexican restaurant (complete with cliff divers and Mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
bands).
Tarika struggles to decide which life suits him best and as is his tendency, develops somewhat of an over-attachment to Charlotte. After an untimely marriage proposal to Charlotte, who is focused on her career and not ready to settle down, Tarika is dumped. In his bitterness and hurt, Tarika resigns from work on Dymotran's sustaining project, the development of a futuristic, modular transportation system. This places Charlotte and her company in jeopardy and Charlotte confronts Tarika in the parking lot as he leaves the office for the last time. This encounter erupts into a full-blown screaming match and eventually ends with Charlotte admitting that she loves Tarika. After a final plea from Charlotte for Tarika to reconsider his decision, he agrees to give two more weeks to the job and in return, Charlotte agrees to be open-minded about a future with Tarika.
Taking breaks from his final work on the project, Tarika visits many buildings and public spaces of 60's and 70's Modernist origin, the architecture and design of which serves as inspiration for much of his work. At every turn, another one of these spaces is boarded up and bulldozed. This builds upon the predominant theme
Theme (arts)
In the visual arts, a theme is a broad idea or a message conveyed by a work, such as a performance, a painting, or a motion picture. This message is usually about life, society or human nature. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a work. Themes are usually implied...
of Sleeping Pills, whereby the entities and images forming ones identity are crushed without remorse in favor of new and improved versions. These images serve as a metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
for the ephemeral home, relationship, and sense of self that can be seen as a consequence of a Postmodern society.
Tarika is reunited with the old gang for a final roller skating
Roller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
session at the FunPlex, a large roller rink
Roller rink
A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...
and game arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
scheduled for demolition the following week. Soon after, Tarika meets up with Tricia at the court yard of their old high school (an odd building with no windows) where Tricia reveals that she is leaving the area for good and asks Tarika to run away with her.
The plot culminates with Tarika having to make a decision to either run away with the unpredictable and fun Tricia or stay and attempt to build a life with a more stable, yet seemingly incompatible Charlotte.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jonathan Chalker | Tarika |
| Lea Downey | Charlotte |
| Melissa London | Tricia |
| James Compton | Kevin |
| Jennifer Kirchenbauer | Kimberly |
| Jeff Danos | Abortion |
| Lindsay McDonald | Amber |
| Ari Greenberg | David |
Location and timeline
Sleeping Pills was shot in Denver and surrounding suburbs, including ThorntonThornton, Colorado
The city of Thornton is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado and a suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thornton is northeast of the state's capital, Denver. The United States Census Bureau that the city population...
and Littleton
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
(where the notorious Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
took place). Shooting began May 1999 with completion of principal photography in November 1999 and completion of second unit filming in February 2000. Post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
was completed in October 2003 and the film premiered at The Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...
the same month. The North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n premier was December 4, 2003 in Denver. Since then, the film has been shown in limited circulation in theaters around the US.
Over half of the building locations where Sleeping Pills was shot have been demolished, including Bigg's Hypermarket and Villa Italia Shopping Mall, a fact which gives emphasis to the film's underlying theme.
Reception and status
A small film by most motion picture standards (about $100K was spent on the film), Sleeping Pills opened with little publicity and has not been picked up for mass distribution. The film was an Official Selection of The Cairo International Film FestivalCairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...
.
External links
- Sleeping Pills 2003 at IMDb
- Sleeping Pills at New York Times
- Kinotonik Pictures Official Web Site