You're Sleeping, Nicole

Beautifully shot in black and white, and set during the summer in a town in Quebec, this film is intentionally slow-paced as it tracks the ennui of its main character Nicole. The sexy young woman, ably portrayed by Julianne Cote, is trying to navigate herself through such early adult experiences as relationships with men, trying to cope with a most boring job, and getting her first credit card, on which she promptly books a trip to Iceland with her best friend Veronique (Catherine St-Laurent).

With her parents away on vacation, Nicole has been left to look after their house, along with her much older and rather depressive brother Remi. He's constantly conducting jam sessions in the home with his band mates, which is not helping Nicole's insomnia any.

I think one's enjoyment of this movie will depend on how long the viewer is willing to wait, with its very deliberate pacing, for the comedic nuggets to appear. I thought there were some very funny scenes, while others didn't work as well, and appeared too flat-toned and even tedious, at times.

All in all, the deadpan and quirky humor here only is partially successful, in my opinion. The film is written and directed by Stephane Lafleur.