Two Sleepy People, Syd (Baron Ryan) lives with his wife, Donna (Sarah J. Bartholomew). Every night, he has the same dream as his new co-worker, Lucy (Caroline Grossman), where they're both married to each other. Writer/director Baron Ryan and co-writer Caroline Grossman have made an honest, wise, heartfelt and refreshingly un-Hollywood romantic dramedy brimming with wit, humor and genuine warmth. Syd feels happy in his dreams with Lucy where Donna is his ex-wife while he's less happy with Donna in his waking life because their marriage has gone stale and they're no longer compatible. Although there are no villains, it could be argued that Donna has some degree of narcissism because she seems selfish, emotionally immature, lacks introspection, and doesn't acknowledge her hurtful actions toward Syd nor the consequences of her action even when he finds the courage to confront her with them. Syd is flawed, too, though, because he doesn't stand up for himself around her and when he tries to, she tries to guilt trip him. Lucy, as it turns out, also has flaws of her own, so even though she's his dream girl, she's infallible. Fundamentally, she and Syd help each other to innately grow through introspection, and to learn how to truly love and empathize with their true selves while attaining an intrinsically valuable asset: self worth.
Bravo to writer/director Baron Ryan and co-writer Caroline Grossman for grasping the complexity of human nature, relationships and psychology. The dialogue sounds organic without any stiltedness, the romance between Syd and Lucy avoids schmaltz, and the inventive plot has the right amount of exposition while leaving just enough room for interpretation. The filmmakers trust the audience's emotions, imagination and intelligence which is a rare feat these days. At a running time of 1 hour and 33 minutes, Two Sleepy People opens on January 23rd, 2026 in select theaters nationwide via Camp Studios. It would be a great double feature with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, (500) Days of Summer, Before Sunrise, Shirley Valentine and any Eric Rohmer movie.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
