
Liz (Olivia Clair Nice) is a Nyctophobia. Lights turned off simply mean rest for her, which means sleepless nights for her then. It’s also important to note that, as the website of the film has explained, this condition is associated with clinical insomnia and sleep paralysis, as well as with different panic attacks, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, and a lot more”
In Nyctophobia, instead of glasses we are dressed in Liz’s pajamas and struggle to be in a place half real and half dreams. We are joined by a young Liz (Sophia Biscotti), as she takes a stroll in an enchanted forest, and we are thrown off by her dream. However, this time Liz is compelled to watch her turbulent imaginary dream of carnival jesters.
The amount of terrible clowns goes higher, and every effort Liz puts in trying to get around them seems to only drive her deeper into a darker form of reality. Somewhat, she resembles a Jazz lounge singer engaging a hostile crowd. In one of the scenes she is impersonating an evil sorceress who possesses a rag doll, and otherwise, she is dressed as a dancer from the 80s. Elsewhere, still a schoolgirl, she enters an empty classroom populated with bloodied mannequins.
Nyctophobia is exactly what it is, a phobia of the dark stylizations of the film. The screenplay of the film writer Jeong not only leads her spectators through the stages of sleep but also enchants with visuals that some sense tries to give to LIZ’s status from the once there is an attempt to go into a regenerative sleep stage. But at the same time, her body was losing the struggle to her brain which was the one in charge of her every move.
Aside from a short voice-over that serves as a horrific reminder of the nightmare that the movie is based on, Nyctophobia does not feature any speech from the characters. It is also reminiscent of Disneyland’s ride which I consider to be one of the old attractions called ‘Adventures into Inner Space’. Instead of demonstrating an atom, Jeong leads us through different sleep cycles like being in bed and being asleep all over again. Jeong romanticizes the first and last moments before we fall into Liz’s universe using practical and CG effects combined with the voiceover.
Jeong then presents a series of stunning set designs starting from the aforementioned dummy school to demon clown heads on a set of monitor walls. Jeong uses CG effects to materialize the horrifying visions which most of us have experienced at a certain time in life. But these visions for Liz occur daily. Along with the practical and CG effects an interesting ASMR experience accompanies us we are puzzled to hear.
Nyctophobia is a high-quality artistic work. Jeong, as an artist, writer, and director uses images as a tool to express feelings and ideas in a way which can communicate with the audience. Still, although the concept is rather unusual, I never felt bewildered, rather I experienced the dynamics of this movement. Nyctophobia might not be liked by the mainstream audience, but for those who appreciate the strange and the experimental, it surely is worth the effort but only if one dares.
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