Night terrors over pretentiousness
The weighty worlds of art and academia intersect with palpable affectation in “Impossible Monsters,” a visually studied but dramatically muddy first feature by Nathan Catucci.
Vying for a grant, ambitious NYU professor Dr. Rich Freeman (Broadway star Santino Fontana) is under pressure from his dean (Laila Robins) to push forward a sleep study focusing on dreams, nightmares and sleep paralysis.
Among the participants are a creatively blocked artist (Dónall Ó Héalai) and a sex worker (Devika Bhise). Rich strikes up a romantic rapport with a participant (Natalie Knepp), the friend of the wife of a rival professor (Chris Henry Coffey).
But his professional and personal boundaries aren’t the only ones that blur. The divisions between real and surreal turn nebulous, leading to a dark denouement.
As with the title, taken from the epigraph of Francisco Goya’s etching, “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters,” everything about the production feels self-important, from a shot that pays homage to Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” to the Bernard Herrmann -esque score.
That esoteric overlay is all good provided there’s a sturdy foundation beneath it, but the writing and direction never satisfyingly build on the initial intrigue.
Just as the events tread a fine line between fantasy and reality, so does the film teeter precipitously between promise and pretense.
“Impossible Monsters.” Not rated. Running Time: 1 hour, 23 minutes Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica; available March 3 on VOD.