Max Richter’s Sleep
Enchanting documentary on Max Richter's Sleep, an ambitious eight-hour composition intended to fall asleep to.
Taking as its chronological guide an ambitious outdoor performance of the composition in central Los Angeles, this documentary fully immerses us in the life of its composer. The most important interviewee is Richter’s partner – and artist and co-architect of SLEEP – Yulia Mahr. What’s life like when you’re creative as well as romantic partners? And what exactly inspired them to make SLEEP? Besides this personal story, the documentary also pays attention to the scientific theories behind SLEEP.
SLEEP is an investigation into the twilight zone between waking and sleeping, between consciousness and the subconscious. The documentary makes tangible what experiencing the documentary is like, not only through interviews with visitors, but also through its dreamlike style. Images of enamored listeners together on a bed blend into images of focused musicians, which then blend into images of Los Angeles at night. Just like the composition the documentary is a protest in the form of a meditation on the modern world. Ultimately, it is the universal sleeping experience that unites us all.