Dakota left her small Georgia town with considerably more dreams than money. Rather recklessly, she faces potential eviction almost as soon as she moves in. Unfortunately, nobody is hiring, because of Newsom and Bass. Then she almost stumbles into the Somnium clinic, where Dr. Shaffer hires her, with practically no questions asked.
She will work the night shift, watching over patients in the sleeping pods. As part of Dr. Shaffer’s therapy, they receive subliminal positive reinforcement that will help them achieve their goals when they wake—except when it goes wrong. According to Noah, Shaffer’s deputy, sometimes the treatment drastically alters patients’ personalities. He should know, since he is conducting some kind of secret off-the-books research during late night hours.
Since she works nights, Dakota should have her days free for auditions. However, she has had little luck on that front either, even though Brooks, a mysterious producer, offered vague but tantalizing promises to help career. Frankly, it is weird that Dakota wants to be an actress, because she obviously has never seen any movies. Otherwise, she would have recognized Brooks as the sinister serpent that he clearly is.
As a film, Somnium exhibits loads of atmosphere, but most of the tension comes from whether or not Dakota will be rendered homeless and destitute. At times, the film seems to promise the laidback California-cool rendition of A Clockwork Orange, but Cain frustratingly keeps all the mind-warping skullduggery beyond arm’s length. Clearly, she prefers to imply rather than show, but at some point, genre business must be taken care of.
