SOMNIUM is a love letter to the influences that created it. Filmmaker Racheal Cain writes and directs a sleek noir takedown of the carnivorous Hollywood dream that is filled with style but fashionably light on calories. That is to mean that we are left with a sick love of the world that SOMNIUM creates but we have no clear idea what any of it means.

Gemma (Chloë Levine) is a girl from South Georgia who has aspirations of fulfilling her dreams in Hollywood as an actor. We witness the path Gemma is forging westward into Tinsletown while learning about her wholesome, rural, origins back home thanks to sharp editing by Editor Kent Lamm and Cain’s clear idea on how to tell the story. We learn that Gemma had a home, a job at the local diner, and a handsome boyfriend, Hunter (Peter Vack), who believes in her. Still, she is compelled to try her luck in out west.

Gemma belly flops onto the Hollywood scene and quickly lands a “day” job at a clinic named Somnium. The clinic offers subconscious reprogramming during sleep to create a new reality in the minds of their clients, ultimately resulting in a new perceived reality of success and fame. Cain explores ideas of reality versus perceived reality with her script and questions what the difference is. It’s an interesting notion that lends itself to some eerie possibilities. Yet the results are murky here. As Gemma continues to struggle in Hollywood going to countless auditions, she begins to uncover a sinister side to her seemingly altruistic employer.

For her part, Levine does a wonderful job with the role of Gemma. She has a wide-eyed innocence that feels sincere as she navigates the deceptive world of fame. Not sure if it was something that she actively worked on but there is a faint southern drawl to her speech that she can’t seem to shake and it really works for the role. Meanwhile, skeevy co-worker Noah (Will Peltz) is giving Cillian Murphy vibes in his turn as the “Dream Architect” at Somnium. His job is to construct the thoughts that will be programmed into the clients and there’s a flippant attitude he has in playing with people’s minds that is wonderfully disturbing. While calling out performances I have to note Bill Kottkamp‘s bit part as a gamer in an arcade. His delivery of the word “skeedadle” had me cackling.

There’s a lot of Lynchian mystery with SOMNIUM that is fun, but it doesn’t all work. Some threads seem to fall by the wayside while others tap out in search of a resolution. There seem to be bigger ideas and concepts that writer-director Racheal Cain was hoping to toy with before choosing conventional options. To be clear, there is a lot to enjoy in this thriller, and Cain and the crew should be proud of their work. This is more a thoughtful thriller than a challenging piece of cinema.

6 Out of 10