Come True

Come True is a 2020 science fiction horror picture directed and written by Anthony Scott Burns. This Canadian production stars Julia Sarah Stone as Sarah, a high school dropout experiencing mysterious and unsettling dreams. She becomes increasingly entangled in the surreal world of her nightmares, and her daily life begins to blur indistinguishably with the forbidding fantasy that haunts her sleep. The film also stars Landon Liboiron, known for his work on Hemlock Grove, in the role of a scientific researcher tasked with understanding Sarah's peculiar predicament, and rounding out the main cast is Carlee Ryski who adds depth to the picture with her supportive yet enigmatic performance.

The film successfully incorporates a number of genres, including thrills, dread and a bit of the supernatural, under the umbrella of Sleep Paralysis - a relatively unexplored territory in horror cinema. "Come True" takes an especially unique approach to this subject matter, delving deeply into the psychological aspect and how it interacts with the physical world by exploring Sarah's life. Her character's desperate situation leads her to volunteer for a university sleep study, hoping it will help her escape her nightmares. However, things do not go as planned.

The story unfolds gradually as Sarah readily responds to the advertisement for a university sleep study headed by Dr. Meyer (Christopher Heatherington). A motley group of researchers is trying to gather data on human dreams seeking to construct a visual interpretation of them using a shady piece of software. Sarah lends herself to the experiment which unwittingly becomes a bizarre waking nightmare, testing the very fabric of her sanity. As the researchers delve deeper into Sarah's dreams—and the puzzling events she experiences—the gap between dream state and reality becomes furthermore thin and indistinct.

Landon Liboiron plays Jeremy, a research assistant who finds himself drawn to Sarah while he deciphers her distressing dreams. Their relationship veers off to unexpected paths as Jeremy reassesses his ethical decisions to covertly spy on her nightmares. This adds a twist to the narrative, questioning the moral boundaries of scientific exploration. Carlee Ryski takes on the role of Anita, another participant in the study but with an unspoken bond and strange parallels with Sarah.

The uniqueness of Come True shines through the way it blends stunning visual effects with raw performance from the cast. The narrative uses practical LED-lit sets to convey a dreamlike quality, consistently manifesting on-screen through dark, blue-hued frames and long, meandering shots that instill a sense of dread. The photorealistic dreamscapes the software produces disquiet with their eerily familiar yet outlandish and monstrous attributes, setting off a lurking sense of unease throughout the film.

As a director, Burns has brilliantly designed an intricate and slow-paced narrative to intertwine the genres of science fiction and horror. Notably, the film's soundscape is equally impressive. Composed by Electric Youth and Pilotpriest, the score underscores the film's somber tone with brooding electronic music, adding a retro-futuristic touch to the movie. The script's dialogues are minimalist, placing more emphasis on creating a compelling atmospheric experience driven by powerful visual storytelling.

Julia Sarah Stone's performance deserves notable mention for being able to convey a plethora of emotions through her expressions and physical appearance, despite minimal dialogue. Her portrayal of a young woman grappling with an unknown entity pervading her dreams as well as life is rightfully unnerving. Her performance produces an elastic sense of reality that keeps the audience guessing the authenticity of scenes as either a dream or reality.

Come True deftly maneuvers between the edges of horror and science fiction, developing a unique narrative that's perfectly coupled with its stunning visual aesthetics. The film hits its stride in being an intriguing exploration of sleep science and the human psyche’s unseen depths, inviting viewers on an enthralling journey into the darker side of dreams and realities alike.

Still, Come True isn’t all science and experimentation; it's a stark exploration of human vulnerability and ethical boundaries. It's hard not to be moved by the plight of Sarah, a teenager whose waking and sleeping worlds collide into an inseparable, terrifying reality. The film invites audiences to ask themselves the limits of scientific exploration and the consequences it might bear on human life.