Originally a made for TV film, it was later released in a limited theatrical run and some festival play. Telling the tale of the girl who is cursed from birth to fall into a 100 year sleep at age 16, Breillat's version takes great liberty in it's lore, while simultaneously telling a story about preservation and love. The central character is Anastasia (played for the majority of the film by newcomer Carla Besnainou,) a rambunctious princess who loves reading the dictionary and listening to the ticking of clocks and imagines herself as a knight. From birth she is cursed by a witch (for no real specific reason I might add) to die at age 16. Three other witches intervene and use their powers so that she will instead fall into a sleep for 100 years at age 6 and wake up aged 16, but while she sleeps she live in a fantastic dreamscape.
In the dreamscape, she meets Peter, whom she almost instant falls in love with but who is stolen from her by the Ice Queen. What follows is her search for Peter and the many strange and interesting character's she meets along the way. All while learning the different ways that people grow mentally and emotionally.
Breillat favors long takes, frank dialogue, and honest emotional output from her actors, never afraid to expose the beautiful and ugly things that people do to each other. Thematically, the film is about growing up in a fantasy world and the joys and dangers that come with that. When Anastasia does finally wake up, it's in a world much different from dreamscape, where things are not quite what they seem. It poses a question, can love transcend time?
Since it was designed as a TV film, the budget constraints were considerable. However, because of the minimalist new wave style the film still retains a very entertaining quality about it. Not for the people who love special effects, explosions, and other visceral types of things, but for those who enjoy a more cerebral experience. I found myself specifically drawn to Breillat after watching a documentary called Great Directors (which, incidentally, you can watch on Netflix Streaming.) She's a survivor. Her early career in the late 70s was almost destroyed by critics who found her work to be offensive. She doesn't pull her punches and has a naturalistic approach to sexuality. That scares people sometimes, but I absolutely love it.
As I said before, not for the average movie-goer, but the film kept my attention and it's only 1hr 27min so what's to lose? If you've ever met someone and felt yourself thinking "This guy needs to read a bloody book once in a while." The Sleeping Beauty will not disappoint you. It's available on Netflix Instant along with 4 other works from 2002-onward. Check it out!
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