As with many of Paul Schrader's less commercial films of the 1990's, Light Sleeper came and went without much box office fanfare. However, it enjoyed some critical success before fading into the emerging universe of video and later DVD. Willem Dafoe, Susan Sarandon, and Dana Delany star in a film about losers, losers' dilemmas, second chances, and redemption. Many of Schrader's other films touch upon similar themes and moods. In Light Sleeper, Schrader combines the nuances of Film Noir with realism and, once again, good dialog. Ed Lachman's sleek night cinematography is punctuated by an unobtrusive Noir-like soundtrack. Dafoe's voice-over narration is never awkward or clichéd, despite it being a well-worn tactic in these type of films.
Dafoe is perfectly cast as John LeTour, a has been druggie trying to eke out an existence selling drugs while maintaining a facade of steering clear of trouble and lying to himself and others around him. Susan Sarandon is good as Ann, the has been drug baroness considering turning to a cosmetics business while rapidly approaching middle age. Delany is Marianne, LeTour's last great love who is both attracted to and repelled by what LeTour represents. Also, as with most of Schrader's films, there's excellent support in this film from Victor Garber, Mary Beth Hurt, Jane Adams, Paul Jabara (in his last film before succumbing to AIDS-related Lymphoma), Sam Rockwell, and look for David Spade as a cocaine addict.
Schrader covers familiar territory with the lone(r) protagonist faced with the dilemma of being lured into decadence vs. breaking free of the life he's led by living up to a personal moral code of his own. None of Schrader's characters are ever black and white, and those who inhabit the world of Light Sleeper are no exception. He alternates scenes of each character, displaying both good and bad traits to show the humanity of each. LeTour is seen treating addict Jabara with utter contempt, kicking him down on a kitchen floor while Jabara is strung out. Later we see LeTour's compassion for the dying mother of his former significant other. Schrader's other main characters display similar emotions proportionate to a scale ranging from self interest to empathy. Sarandon is caught between continuing the risky life of an aging drug baroness and starting a legitimate business. Delany is trapped between being lured into using vs. finding the empathy and stability she desperately wants and needs.
Schrader shows us (as he did with several of his previous films: American Gigolo, Hardcore, and Taxi Driver, which he wrote,) that what matters most in life are the people that fill a need each of us has. For LeTour, Marianne represented respectability, rising above his circumstances, and feeling needed. However, consistent with the dilemmas Schrader's characters face is the fact that they never seem to find anyone to fill all their need(s) completely. Hence, Schrader leads us (through LeTour in this case) to a catharsis simultaneously resolving both the plot and the protagonist's emotional dilemma, just as he did with Taxi Driver and Hardcore especially. This is probably Schrader's best directed film up to this point in time. *** of 4 stars.
Dafoe is perfectly cast as John LeTour, a has been druggie trying to eke out an existence selling drugs while maintaining a facade of steering clear of trouble and lying to himself and others around him. Susan Sarandon is good as Ann, the has been drug baroness considering turning to a cosmetics business while rapidly approaching middle age. Delany is Marianne, LeTour's last great love who is both attracted to and repelled by what LeTour represents. Also, as with most of Schrader's films, there's excellent support in this film from Victor Garber, Mary Beth Hurt, Jane Adams, Paul Jabara (in his last film before succumbing to AIDS-related Lymphoma), Sam Rockwell, and look for David Spade as a cocaine addict.
Schrader covers familiar territory with the lone(r) protagonist faced with the dilemma of being lured into decadence vs. breaking free of the life he's led by living up to a personal moral code of his own. None of Schrader's characters are ever black and white, and those who inhabit the world of Light Sleeper are no exception. He alternates scenes of each character, displaying both good and bad traits to show the humanity of each. LeTour is seen treating addict Jabara with utter contempt, kicking him down on a kitchen floor while Jabara is strung out. Later we see LeTour's compassion for the dying mother of his former significant other. Schrader's other main characters display similar emotions proportionate to a scale ranging from self interest to empathy. Sarandon is caught between continuing the risky life of an aging drug baroness and starting a legitimate business. Delany is trapped between being lured into using vs. finding the empathy and stability she desperately wants and needs.
Schrader shows us (as he did with several of his previous films: American Gigolo, Hardcore, and Taxi Driver, which he wrote,) that what matters most in life are the people that fill a need each of us has. For LeTour, Marianne represented respectability, rising above his circumstances, and feeling needed. However, consistent with the dilemmas Schrader's characters face is the fact that they never seem to find anyone to fill all their need(s) completely. Hence, Schrader leads us (through LeTour in this case) to a catharsis simultaneously resolving both the plot and the protagonist's emotional dilemma, just as he did with Taxi Driver and Hardcore especially. This is probably Schrader's best directed film up to this point in time. *** of 4 stars.