| SLEEP DEALER |
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| Written by Joseph B. Mauceri | |||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 16 April 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||
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RELEASING: Maya Entertainment SYNOPSIS: In the future the world is divided by closed borders, but connected by a digital network that links people together around the world. In the small, dusty village of Santa Ana del Rio, Mexico, Memo Cruz lives with his parents and his brother. Memo couldn’t care less about Santa Ana. He loves technology, and dreams of leaving his small pueblo and finding work in the hi-tech factories in the big cities in the north. Santa Ana is an isolated farming community with a hi-tech, militarized dam built by a corporation that now controls Santa Ana’s water supply. For now though, Memo is trapped in Santa Ana del Rio. His only escape comes at night. Alone in his room alone Memo uses a homemade radio intercept to eavesdrop on conversations of people who’ve made it to the big cities, where almost anything is possible. One night he stumbles across something he’s never heard before – the communications of the security forces that are constantly patrolling the area around his village, to protect the dam from ‘Aqua-Terrorists.’ Unknown to him Memo is now under the crosshairs and security agents at the water company’s headquarters in the United States, have spotted Memo’s radio intercept, and conclude that it’s a threat. Memo is then forced to realize his dream of leaving Santa Ana in the worst possible way when his homemade radio - and his house - is destroyed in a reckless remote control bombing. Driven by feelings of guilt, and a need to earn money, Memo leaves his family and his pueblo to go north, find work, and help his family start again. He heads to the massive border city of Tijuana. On the way, Memo meets a young woman, sharp and beautiful, named Luz. Luz is an aspiring journalist who dreams of writing a story that might one day change the world. She’s curious about Memo, and she asks him a few questions as they approach Tijuana, “City of the Future.” A strange and complex relationship is set in motion between Memo and Luz. Luz knows a thing or two about technology. She helps Memo get his nodes so he can plug his body into the system, and get work. But it’s not what he expected. The factories are bizarre and dangerous. Workers connect their nervous systems to the net to control robots that labor on the other side of the border. The workers frequently toil until they collapse – earning the factories the nickname ‘sleep dealers.’ Their friendship becomes a chain of events that set in motion a connection of three strangers, and change their lives — maybe even change the world — forever. (Synopsis edited from text provided by studio) CREW: Director/Screenplay - Alex Rivera; Screenplay - David Riker; Producer - Anthony Bregman; Director Of Photography -Lisa Rinzler; Score – Tomandandy; Production Designer - Miguel Ángel Álvarez; Editor - Alex Rivera; Visual Fx Supervisor - Mark Russell; Costume Designer - Adela Cortazar. CAST: Memo Cruz… LUIS FERNANDO PEÑA; Luz Martinez… LEONOR VARELA; Rudy Ramírez… JACOB VARGAS; David Cruz… TENOCH HUERTA; Dolores Cruz… METZTLI ADAMINA; Miguel Cruz… JOSE CONCEPCIÓN MACÍAS; Ricki… EMILIO GUERRERO; Lupe… NORMA PABLO; Antonio… ROBERTO REYES. OFFICIAL WEB SITE: www.sleepdealer.com
- SLEEP DEALER is an amazing science fiction film that achieves what few great cinematic narratives aspire to and what great science fiction literature does; it allows audiences to explore the human condition by placing it in a different light. If Philip K Dick were still a live I'm sure he would be a fan of this film. SLEEP DEALER possesses a gritty nature that is found in the literary works of H.G. Wells and a gruff cinematic vision of films like “Planet of the Apes” and “Soylent Green.” This gritty and gruff look influences the costumes and production designs making the film’s stark reality easily acceptable to an audience. This extremely talent cast carries the intense emotions of the story and draws the audience deeply into the drama of this tale because they are not the “A-List” celebrities that can distract a viewer from the story. Like the great masters of Science Fiction literature, SLEEP DEALER also becomes a cautionary tale with social commentary woven into its complex narrative. Director Alex Rivera delivers a simple yet cinematically ambitious tale that is a powerful as it is engaging to watch. He is a unique talent and definitely a talented rising star to keep an eye on. This is independent filmmaking at its finest and deserves to be support while it is in the theater. The SLEEP DEALER is a brilliant film that earns a place already on my Top Ten List for 2009. **Based on the regular $12.50 ticket prices at a Manhattan theater Feb. 13th, 2009. |
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