Sleeping Beauty

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Sleeping Beauty

Released Dec 2, 2011

1h 41m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

48%

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97 Reviews

32%

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50,000+ Ratings

A college student (Emily Browning) becomes a niche sex worker for a high-end brothel where customers pay to fondle her while she sleeps.

Critics Consensus

Sleeping Beauty's provocative premise and luminous art design is hampered by a clinical, remote presentation, delivering boredom and shock in equal measure.

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Sophie Mayer

Sight & Sound

Sleeping Beauty aspires to create a... haunted disconnect between Lucy's presentation and her subjectivity. Yet Leigh isn't able to muster a cinematic equivalent of a first-person narration that would convey Lucy's interiority to the viewer.

Jul 9, 2018

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

Even if the film's final chapter seems far too on point, if not glib, the filmmaker continues to mine complicated psychological terrain with a clear-eyed stringency.

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

She spends much of the movie baring her fascinatingly underdeveloped body; her vagina is her temple. There's no graphic sex, but its intimations are anything but sexy.

Jun 20, 2013

Full Review

Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

... Too calculated, precious, and artificial to be captivating. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Oct 4, 2022

Full Review

Amie Simon

Three Imaginary Girls

While Beauty is prettily composed and the acting was just fine, the overall effect left me feeling pretty empty.

Mar 4, 2019

Full Review

Steve Erickson

Gay City News

[Director Julia] Leigh shows great confidence as a visual stylist and director of actors.

Mar 3, 2018

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L S

Between the long and lingering scenes and Emily Browning's muted but committed performance, there is much left unsaid and an ever-present sense of even more beneath the surface of this meticulous, unsettling masterpiece.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

Full Review

Susan W

I watched this movie several times because it haunted me. It doesn't hand you the message, and you probably won't get it if you haven't realized at some point that you have been surpressing trauma and grief and moving like a sleep walker through your life, numbing yourself with careless choices. The main character seems to have no support, friends, family except for one person, who is the only person she shows attachment to, and is more broken than she is. She remains detached because she's practiced it, long before we see this part of her story, to protect herself from feeling the pain.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/15/25

Full Review

Mei H

I just love Emily! But the movie is slow paced, not a very engaging story.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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Sean M

Boring and utterly disturbing film where nothing is ever explained. Tries to be profound, but isn’t worth the time investment.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

Full Review

Kelly S

The concept lead me to believe with would be a thrilling story alas disappointment. There is no depth in the characters and their story so each seen is as empty as empty can be. Disapointment is a start but just like this movie I won't delve into why

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Where do I start….. I just don’t know but I will say that the acting is sub par at best, like everyone is doing it against their will and dosed up on lithium and antipsychotics…. Not to mention the final scene…. A less believable breakdown I’ve not seen ever!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/10/23

Full Review

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Julia Leigh

Director

Emily Browning

Lucy

Rachael Blake

Clara

Ewen Leslie

Birdmann

Peter Carroll

Man 1

Chris Haywood

Man 2

Elles

22%

28%

Elles

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Cherry

14%

16%

Cherry

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The Client List

83%

41%

The Client List

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Paradise: Hope

88%

64%

Paradise: Hope

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Synopsis

A college student (Emily Browning) becomes a niche sex worker for a high-end brothel where customers pay to fondle her while she sleeps.

Director: Julia Leigh
Producer: Jessica Brentnall
Screenwriter: Julia Leigh
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: September Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 2, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 19, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.6K
Runtime: 1h 41m

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