Nyctophobia (2024) Film Review
Seayoon Jeong’s experimental feature film Nyctophobia is truly special. But it isn’t a very friendly experience. In fact, you may find yourself trying to grapple with its unique approach and character arc as you try to make some sense of what you’re actually seeing. However, I believe that it’s all for a purpose. And that purpose is one that Jeong will not display as other filmmakers do with their movies. This is a mysterious and experimental take on something we don’t know much about. What happens inside our minds when we fall asleep? How do thoughts work when we can control what happens? Why do we feel vulnerable in the safety of our own bed?
Nyctophobia is a nerve-racking psychological thriller that does not go for genre formulas or a traditional setting. Instead, it’s an interpretation of something real, a condition widely recognized as chronic but seldom explored in its conception and expression. The random world of dreams is now mixed with tangible fear, and in the mind of the afflicted Liz, monsters reside, transcend, and celebrate.
Liz is a woman who suffers from a sleeping disorder. She’s tried everything at hand, and nothing works. Going to bed is an ordeal, as she’s also afraid of what she can’t see in the absolute dark that’s activated when it’s time to rest and sleep.However, as we go along Liz toward a deeper state of consciousness, we realize that perhaps it’s all for something. Liz’s only resource is to revisit happy memories from her childhood. But she goes all in, drifting off into some chaotic layer where she encounters evil entities that want to hurt her in the most nightmarish field you can think of.
The film plays like a dream progressing into a nightmare. It’s repetitive and sometimes hard to endure. Whether this was Jeong’s purpose all along is hard to tell, but it’s something we can’t accuse her of inflicting on viewers. Nyctophobia admits early on what kind of movie it is, and if you decide to go along with it, it’s your responsibility.
Traditional movies are the norm, and those who break the rules boldly present a shift that doesn’t always go right regarding the viewers whose expectations aren’t met. However, we also must appreciate the auteur’s standpoint and how it could be exciting but not exactly compelling for many. It’s a film that will surely resonate with those who have gone through mysterious conditions like sleep paralysis and sleep anxiety. But Jeong’s representation of nightmares will be divisive as it takes a direction that some won’t connect with: as creepy as those clowns were, Nyctophobia is anything but a traditional scary movie.
Jeong’s Nyctophobia is a creative exploration of something personal to everyone, and it’s impossible for her to nail something like the monsters that live in anybody’s mind. Nevertheless, her portrayal exceptionally bends the rules. This film is to be celebrated, but not everyone will have a great time with it. Whether that’s good or bad, the answer lies in Jeong’s own mind and Nyctophobia is just the beginning of our exploration inside it.
