The Man Who Sleeps (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #29 extract: The Man Who Sleeps (1974)

The Man Who Sleeps is a brilliant cine-poem about existentialism, indifference and nihilism that, through images and prose, captures a hopeless emptiness in both Paris and a young Parisian man. With beautiful direction and evocative imagery, this can be seen to be the French (slightly) non-narrative Taxi Driver. However, to compare this to Taxi Driver is somewhat ironic as, though both films explore nihilism and anarchy, it was the cultural evolution of America (and its cinema) that would begin to overshadow French cinema and its romanticised, idealised culture in the 70s. The emptiness of Parisian culture that is projected through this film would then be ironically exhausted with a comparison to Taxi Driver as, in spirit, this is what the film is seemingly commenting on: the perceived decline of Paris through a hopeless young man. 

Just about as dismal and dark as films can get without being miserably masturbatory (thanks to the ending), The Man Who Sleeps is a great film well worth the watch - especially for anyone who's feeling particularly nihilistic.