SOMNIUM is a new sci-fi thriller that feels strangely familiar but not in any bad way. In fact, it reminded me of David Lynch’s iconic Mulholland Dr., but only in vibe and not plot. Chloë Levine is a strong lead. Read our full Somnium movie review here!
SOMNIUM is a new sci-fi thriller starring Chloë Levine in the all-important lead role. She needs to be fierce, talented, depressed, conflicted, and everything in between as the story unfolds. And that’s without the sci-fi thriller element driving the core plot.
This is the feature film debut of the writer and director, which promises good things to come. I was completely enthralled with the world-building, while the emotional pull the protagonist struggles with held me captive. A solid 92-minute runtime also worked.
Continue reading our Somnium movie review below. Find it in select theaters on August 28, and on Digital from September 9, 2025.
Just a small town girl…
Gemma (Chloë Levine) may be a small-town girl, but she has big-city dreams of becoming a star in Hollywood. In flashbacks, we see that a painful breakup came right before her move to Los Angeles.
Once there, she really is “just a small town girl, livin’ in a lovely world”. Don’t worry, I’m not going to do all the lyrics to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” though it feels quite appropriate for Somnium.
As Gemma arrives in L.A., she doesn’t know anyone there. Not a single person, and making friends, while also being confronted with your competition non-stop, is an uphill battle.
Being a smart and hardworking girl from a small town, she is very aware that she needs to get a job. Unfortunately, even this proves to be difficult, so she’s quick to jump at the chance when offered a job at the sleep clinic “Somnium”.
Where your dreams come true
The Somnium sleep clinic is a place where dreams come true. Or rather, they are made real by impacting the clients in their sleep. By being impacted and influenced in your sleep, your subconscious will take in things that you can’t while awake.
Gemma is working the graveyard shift, so she’s basically watching over people sleeping at this very experimental clinic. While working nights, Gemma can also do auditions during the day, so it works out well.
The pay, however, is only minimal, so she’s constantly behind on rent. Also, the pressure of work, auditions, trying to show up for important parties, and missing home is getting to her. Before long, she starts seeing things and feels trapped in a nightmarish world.
It’s getting increasingly difficult for her to know what’s real and what isn’t. Also, there are a few men in her life (not romantic interests) that she isn’t sure she can trust. She wants to trust them, but isn’t sure what they expect from her.
Neither did I, but I was pleased that this story clearly had both good and bad guys.
Along with Chloë Levine (The Sacrifice Game, The OA) as Gemma, we see Will Peltz (Unfriended), Peter Vack (M.F.A.), Gillian White, Grace Van Dien (The Fix), and Johnathon Schaech (Suitable Flesh) in key roles.
Watch Somnium in theaters (and on VOD soon)
Racheal Cain is the writer and director of Somnium, which is her feature film debut, and I am very excited to see what comes next from her. This is mostly labeled a sci-fi thriller, but it definitely has elements of pure sci-fi horror as well.
The whole vibe of a small-town girl going to Hollywood trying to make it, and encountering a world that feels decidedly alien in ways, reminded me of Mulholland Dr., which surely isn’t a bad thing. Ultimately, this is a very different beast, but I liked it.
Somnium premiered at the 2024 Chattanooga Film Festival, where it took home the Audience Award. It then won the Silver Audience Award Prize at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. Also, star Chloë Levine won the Best Actress Award at FilmQuest.
Basically, this indie genre movie has already proven its worth at film festivals, and now you’ll be able to watch it as well. And you absolutely should!
Somnium opens theatrically on August 29 in Los Angeles, followed by a run in New York City starting September 6, 2025. From September 9, 2025, Somnium will be out on Digital across North America on all major platforms (Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home).
Details
Director: Racheal Cain
Writer: Racheal Cain
Cast: Chloë Levine, Will Peltz, Peter Vack, Johnathon Schaech, Grace Van Dien
Plot
After a painful breakup, small-town Gemma moves to Los Angeles with the hopes of making it big. To get on her feet, she takes a job working the overnight shift at Somnium– a mysterious, experimental sleep clinic where dreams are made real. Meanwhile, Gemma throws herself into the cutthroat world of Hollywood auditions. But as the pressure to succeed mounts, she begins to experience strange and unsettling phenomena, and soon finds herself trapped in a nightmarish spiral as she discovers a darkness lurking within the clinic walls.
📺 Watch trailer
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