In the 1999 horror movie The Haunting, Liam Neeson (portraying a sleep scientist) invites the protagonists to an old mansion for a study on insomnia. In the book the movie is adapted from, “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson, the scientist recommends reading Samuel Richardson before bed to cure insomnia. While this recommendation is sound – establishing a routine before bedtime is one key to curing insomnia – the portrayal of sleep disorders in cinema is not very widespread and sometimes inaccurate. I aim to look at some of the main films that deal with various sleep disorders throughout the years, and examine whether or not the way they approach the subject is accurate and helpful.

I have experienced sleepwalking myself. One of my most vivid memories from my childhood is waking up in bed in the morning naked, and finding my clothes strewn throughout the hallway at various points outside my room. I presumably walked down the hallway during my sleep while taking my clothes off (I still have no idea what I was dreaming about). This was one of a few occasions in my childhood in which I left my bed while sleeping. I no longer sleepwalk, to the best of my knowledge, but I still talk in my sleep and snore on occasion. Luckily for me, my sleep disorders are mild and benign, but for many, this is not the case. Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and other disorders are sinister and can be quite dangerous, and yet are dealt with only sparingly in popular media.

Indeed, not only are they largely ignored in media, but the public is mostly ignorant about them in general. According to the American Sleep Apnea Foundation, an estimated 22 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and yet 80% of those cases go undiagnosed. Hopefully, with more exposure (and accuracy) in popular media, sleep disorders can gain national attention, going a long way towards getting more people help for their disorders.

Animated Disney Films

One of the most surprising places that sleep disorders can be found represented in cinema is in Disney films. In Cinderella (1950), Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Fox and the Hound (1981), and Pluto’s Judgment Day (1935), dogs exhibit symptoms of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD). The dogs in these films act out their dreams (normally, muscle activity is not present during REM sleep) – they growl, move their paws as if running, and sniff as if they were awake. In addition, the male dog from Lady and the Tramp loses some of both his sense of smell and his memory – both features of RBD. The interesting thing about this is that these films were created before RBD was defined as a disorder.

Other disorders can be found as well. Alex Iranzo et. al., in an essay about this phenomenon, reveal that a broad range of sleep disorders are present in Disney films, including “nightmares, sleepwalking, sleep related seizures, disruptive snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia and circadian rhythm sleep disorder.” Everyone’s favorite old men, the seven dwarves in Snow White, exhibit disorders as varied as sleep related epilepsy, loud snoring, and hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness, as seen in the character of Sleepy).

However, these representations of sleep disorders are used almost purely for comical purposes in the movie, which is more sinister than it seems – while Disney does show sleep disorders with surprising accuracy, passing them off as jokes doesn’t give enough weight to them – after all, they are called disorders for a reason. So while Disney were ahead of their time in noticing these sleep disorders for what they are, the way they dealt with them in the movies could have been handled better.

Sleepless in Seattle

The immensely popular romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle (1993) also portrays a character with a sleep disorder. The main plot centers around Tom Hank’s character Sam, a man who lives in Seattle with insomnia. The name of the movie itself comes from the nickname a doctor gives Sam when she hears of his condition.

However, this movie does not represent insomnia in a particularly accurate way. His insomnia is a even a method of getting women – thousands of women, hearing the doctor’s talk show about “Sleepless in Seattle,” send him letters of consolation and adoration. Indeed, the main female in the plot, Annie, meets Sam in this manner. Insomnia in real life is not such a trifling matter. Insomniacs tend to be depressed and angry, anxious, possibly overweight, and inarticulate, with trouble concentrating. This is not to say that insomniacs are all like this, but many are, and Sam does not exhibit many of the negative characteristics associated with insomnia.

Thus, this movie is in fact somewhat harmful, in that it romanticizes insomnia without showing much of its darker side. While this movie, being a critical and box office success, definitely raised awareness about insomnia, whether or not it did so in a constructive manner is less certain.

Insomnia

Insomnia (2002) is another good example of a film that deals with sleep disorders. It follows Detective Will Dormer (played by Al Pacino) and another Detective as they follow a murderer into Alaska. It is during summer, and Alaska is near the North Pole, so there is almost perpetual daylight, which gives Dormer insomnia. As the movie progresses, Dormer becomes more and more unhinged, until finally, at the end of the movie, his last lines are “Let me sleep,” spoken immediately before passing away due to his wounds.

This movie deals with insomnia in a far more realistic way. Dormer’s lack of sleep leads him to be increasingly delirious and to lose concentration, which becomes more and more of a problem throughout the film. This is far more accurate – insomnia, after all, tends to lead to lapses in concentration, and even hallucinations in extreme cases.

So in many ways this movie is far better for raising awareness of sleep disorders than Sleepless in Seattle. It paints insomnia in a decidedly negative light, with none of the romantic connotations shown in the other movie.

Chasing Sleep

To return to the genre of horror as with The Haunting, the 2002 thriller Chasing Sleep deals with insomnia as well. The main character, Ed Saxon, has insomnia, and as the movie continues he becomes increasingly anxious and confused. Indeed, as the movie continues, Saxon’s grasp of reality continues to slip away, mirroring his lack of sleep. The use of the horror genre contributes to this, as Saxon’s immersion in this altered reality is enhanced, and in turn enhances, the effect that his insomnia has on him.

As with Insomnia, this is a more beneficial (if more stylized) look at insomnia. There is no romantic aspect of Saxon’s insomnia – rather, his failure to sleep leads to bad side effects that are similar to what real-world insomnia looks like. This film, though not especially successful, helps further the audience’s awareness of sleep disorders.

Sleepwalk With Me

This movie is slightly different than the others that have been discussed so far. This is because it is a lower-budget indie film mostly screened at film festivals. It was quite well received – it won the Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It is also different, however, because it is a film entirely concerned with sleep disorders.

The plot follows a comedian dealing with a failing relationship and problems with his future. As his anxiety increases, so does his development of RBD, and his sleepwalking incidents become more numerous and more severe. Once again, this movie portrays RBD relatively accurately, and deals with the issue in a poignant way that raises awareness about the issue without trivializing it.

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge (2001) has a minor character that is literally named the Narcoleptic Argentinian. This man suffers an attack of cataplexy during one scene, and during another lies on a bed asleep while others dance around him.

While this man is not an integral character to the story, the use of a narcoleptic character is unusual and shows a rare sensitivity to the subject. Another movie that includes a narcoleptic character is My Own Private Idaho (1991).

Concluding Thoughts

Sleep disorders in media have actually been present for a long time. As Iranzo et. al. reveal, texts as far back as Don Quixote and Macbeth and authors like Charles Dickens had characters with sleep disorders. Movies are just the natural extension of these texts – and yet few films deal with these problems.

Each of these films is unique – some are more focused on sleep problems, while for some these problems are only a small part of the plot – but each film should be applauded for its representation of a subject that is not often portrayed, or even mentioned, in popular media.

As I said earlier, I no longer sleepwalk, but I still sleep talk and snore on occasion. My sleep problems are benign; others may not be. The use of media to raise awareness is important, and should not be abused.

Referenced Works

Iranzo, Alex, Carlos H. Schenck, and Jorge Fontes. “REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Other Sleep Disturbances in Disney Animated Films.”Sleep Medicine 8.5 (2007): 531-36. ScienceDirect. 18 May 2007. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.

Peters, Brandon. “Top Ten Sleep-Related Movies.” About Health. N.p., 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

I also used the movies that were referenced in the articles.