Somnium (2025) review – A Lynchian sci-fi with an identity crisis

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are checking out psychological horror movie Somnium (2024).

I have explained the ending to this movie in our Somnium Ending Explained article. It’s a bit of a vague plotline that is deliberately ambiguous so very tough to actually concretely break down. Take a look if you are looking for some answers. Keep in mind, that article isn’t spoiler free but this review is.

Dreams Into Reality

This film first hit the festival circuit back in 2024. The story follows a small town girl who heads to Hollywood in the hope of becoming an actor. After taking a job at a clinic which claims to be able to literally make dreams real, her own reality begins to become blurred.

For the most part, Somnium plays out as something of a drama reflecting our protagonist’s “fish out of water” experience in Los Angeles. Like thousands of other people, she goes there with aspirations of making it big but, instead, ends up working a menial job and struggling to pay rent. You know, the Gen Z experience. Auditions are few and far between and life is extremely tough.

Things become increasingly strange, however, when she digs deeper into the mechanics of the place she is working. The clinic, Somnium, is filled with people who are resting in pods that, apparently, can make their dreams into reality. After a co-worker shows her how he could make her a big time movie star. The lines between what is real and what is a dream suddenly meld together.

Expect some Lynchian shenanigans

Somnium makes it extremely clear what kind of vibe it is going for early and often. References to Twin Peaks are littered throughout and there is a distinctly Lynchian uncanniness to the entire film. At its best, this is a movie that feels abstract and obtuse in the best possible way. There’s a hallucinatory vagueness to what is taking place that keeps you consistently engrossed and guessing what will come next.

“References to Twin Peaks are littered throughout and there is a distinctly Lynchian uncanniness to the entire film.”

Our protagonist’s mundane everyday life is carefully placed against a backdrop of science fiction intrigue. For every one of Gemma’s failed auditions and abandoned attempts at socialising. There is a small piece of drip-fed exposition related to the dreamlike world that the residents of the Somnium clinic are currently living in. I genuinely wanted to know more!

It’s hard to shake that desire to want to jump into one of those pods and experience what the characters are experiencing. Naturally, the allure of this is one purely designed to act as a vehicle to expand on Gemma’s personal story of struggle and regret. But it would be remiss of me to not reflect on how interesting of a concept this is.

The many references to virtual reality and imagined, idealised lives serves to relate the experience to something more grounded. Though it never quite feels as though director Racheal Cain is quite able to satisfactorily tap into, what is, a tantalisingly fascinating idea. Unfortunately, that speaks to some of Somnium’s larger problems.

It’s a real mixed bag

Somnium tries to spin a lot of different plates. It is part psychological horror movie, part drama, part romance, and part science fiction thriller. It’s a strange mix and the disparate elements don’t always fit together all that well. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the prevailing feeling I had is that each different facet feels markedly underdeveloped.

The horror elements bounce between scenes of creeping dread, character paranoia, and actual creature horror. Somnium is never really scary and it can feel rather generic when it really leans into the scary stuff later on in the film. The drama elements are both predictable and fairly dull.

“It’s only the strong performance of Chloë Levine that keeps you engaged… she is the best thing that Somnium has going for it.”

The whole fish-out-of-water thing has been done a million times before and Gemma’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend is completely lacking in reasons to stay invested.

The events play out in a non-linear fashion with the story gradually expanding on Gemma’s motivations for pursuing her dreams. To be perfectly honest, however, it’s only the strong performance of Chloë Levine that keeps you engaged. Outside of an accent that slips wildly throughout the film, Levine is the best thing that Somnium has going for it. She was great in The Transfiguration and she is great here. When the story starts to drag, she does a nice job of drawing you back in.

An intriguing concept that just doesn’t fully work

The science fiction elements are intriguing but woefully lacking in structure and development. The concept is fantastic but I could never shake the feeling that there was so much meat left on the proverbial bones. Somnium never quite feels like it knows exactly what it wants to be. This identity crisis robs the movie of so much potential.

Simply leaning more into the science fiction stuff could have added so much to the movie. It’s tough not to feel a sense of narrative whiplash as Cain tries to fit square pieces into round holes rather than just sticking with the basics. We do venture into the dream world later in the movie but it never quite feels like the hallucinatory fever trip that it should have been.

The ending that follows is more of a polite bow out rather than a grand explosion of ideas and plot culmination. It feels a bit unsatisfying. On the plus side, Somnium is very well made; Racheal Cain is already a very talented filmmaker and this is just her feature debut.

“Somnium never quite feels like it knows exactly what it wants to be. This identity crisis robs the movie of so much potential.”

Visuals are nice, there’s a sort of very enjoyable futuristic retro feeling to the film that reminds me of It Follows. Cinematography is a strong point, pacing is fine, and performances are pretty solid, throughout. There are a few moments that feel like they should be in a teen romance drama rather than a science fiction horror movie but it is what it is. There’s bags of promise here.

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A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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