The story of a woman who begins working as the voyeuristic fantasy for a bizarre group of aging and damaged men.
Emily Browning plays Lucy, aka the “Sleeping Beauty”, a student who earns money in any way she can find, regardless of the dangers or ethics involved. She toils menial jobs like waiting tables, and participates in science experiments at her school in order to make cash. Lucy also attempts to sleep with richer men to get ahead.
One day, she is accepted for a job working for a “silver service” company, with a twist. The company provide erotic, and fantasy-styled dinner parties for an elite group of upper class men and women. Lucy, along with some S&M clad cohorts, wait on their tables dressed in revealing outfits chosen for them. This job soon escalates into the role of the Sleeping Beauty, which sees Lucy willingly enter a drug-induced sleep, whilst a man uses her still form for his own desires. Obviously, most of her clients are damaged or broken, emotionally and/or physically, so these intimate moments are of the highest secrecy.
Lucy spirals into this world of unknown (to her at least) voyeurism and dark sexual fantasy, a world that continues to escalate throughout.
This film is the perfect example of a great idea spoiled. The plot is extremely fascinating, on paper, and the darker elements would make for a brilliant psychological thriller. Sadly though, director Julia Leigh opts for a more artistic endeavour, that sees the movie take on a sluggish pace, and bewildering editing. Browning does an amiable job as Lucy, but her performance lacks a lot of personal development, and audiences will fail to warm to her character‘s plight.
Music is almost completely absent from this film, making the atmosphere cold and unwelcoming, which, coupled with the subject matter, makes for an uncomfortable viewing experience altogether. The moments which are the most fascinating are those during which Lucy is used by these aging men, but they are too few, and Leigh seems unwilling to dwell on them for fear of alienating the audience. Furthermore, the film builds up too much back story on Lucy, without giving anywhere near enough fallout from what she goes through, ending with a climactic scene that should have been explained.
The film feels like a feeble and cowardly take on what could have been a dynamic and effective story.
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