Film Review: Deep (2021) – When Sleep Becomes a Gamble for Life

 

Deep | 2021 | 1h 41m
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller | Country: Thailand
Directors: Sita Likitvanichkul, Jetarin Ratanaserikiat, Apirak Samudkidpisan | Writers: Sita Likitvanichkul, Kittitat Nokngam, Jetarin Ratanaserikiat
Cast: Panisara Rikulsurakan, Kay Lertsittichai, Supanaree Sutavijitvong
IMDB: 4.9
My Rate: 6/10

Jane joins an experimental project to earn some extra money where she isn’t allowed to sleep for a certain period of time and meets Win, Cin, and Peach who also participate in the same project. However, they don’t realize that their lives are actually on the line.

Warning:

Violence, strong language, drugs, alcohol, smoking, and suicide

Synopsis:

Jane lives with her younger sister, June, and their grandmother. As the eldest, she works hard to provide for them and pay off the never-ending debt. Jane plans to drop out of college until her professor tells her about an experimental project that offers a large payment.

The project, called Deep, requires participants to stay awake for a certain period of time. Jane then meets Win, Cin, and Peach, who also happen to join the same project. The first stage goes quite well, and the payment they receive is pretty good. So, they decide to continue to the second stage.

The second stage turns out to be not as easy as it seems. They start experiencing mental issues like lack of focus, unstable emotions, and even hallucinations, all due to the impact of not sleeping for days. Until they face a moment where Cin almost loses her life right in front of them.

They decide not to continue to the third stage. However, June suddenly joins the project too, forcing Jane to take risks to save her sister. An unexpected secret is also revealed.

Will they be able to survive this experiment?

Review:

Imagine if every time you close your eyes, your life is put at risk. Deep tries to imagine that kind of world — one that trades sleep for life. Unfortunately, the idea, though interesting, thrilling, and full of potential, isn’t fully executed to its best.

The film opens with a mysterious scene: a man jumping from a tall building, followed by a medical classroom discussion about sleep and human consciousness. Those two scenes become a strong foundation that should’ve led the audience into a bigger mystery. Slowly, one by one, the characters are introduced — each with a similar background: insomnia sufferers searching for a way out through a secret experimental project. Everything flows systematically and is easy to follow, like a puzzle starting to piece itself together.

The project, which seems promising at first, turns into a nightmare when illusion, paranoia, and mental exhaustion take over. The conflict peaks when they realize their lives are now at stake. The appearance of June brings a new conflict that traps them in a dilemma and once again puts their lives in danger.

This conflict should’ve been a strong turning point but instead raises a big question: why would she willingly join a project that’s already proven dangerous? June’s choice feels more like a narrative device than a decision based on her character’s logic. The same goes for the others’ decision to return to the project just to save her — instead of feeling heroic, it actually causes confusion, especially when more realistic options like taking June to the hospital seem far more reasonable. Maybe the producers wanted to show that sometimes logic stops working when someone we love is in danger.

The story’s strong foundation ends up wasted with a rushed resolution. Instead of using the show, don’t tell method, the film chooses to explain its mystery through long dialogues that sadly lack emotional impact. The tension that had been built slowly fades away, making the ending feel bland.

Many small contradictions also appear, such as the use of CPR that doesn’t align with the film’s premise. In the world of Deep, a person dies if they sleep for more than 60 seconds, yet the film shows the CPR process as if their hearts had already stopped. This inconsistency weakens the tension built early on.

Even so, it can’t be denied that the concept itself is quite interesting — especially in portraying the thin line between human need for rest and the ambition to stay productive. The cast performs well in the first half, convincingly showing exhaustion and despair, though their acting intensity drops toward the rushed ending, making the characters feel shallow.

Deep actually had the potential to be a strong psychological film about the anxiety of young generations and the obsession with perfection. But the weak narrative makes the audience drown in the confusion of its plot. The story that once felt promising becomes easily forgettable once the film ends.

In the end, the movie leaves a simple yet valuable message: sleep isn’t just a biological need, but an act of love toward yourself.

“Sleep and take a rest for a while — it will help you stay sane.”

Memorable Scene:

Cin faints and is in danger if she exceeds 60 seconds. Jane, Win, and Peach do everything they can to wake her up, and she finally regains consciousness. In this scene, they finally realize how dangerous the project truly is — their lives are literally on the line.

Memorable Dialogue:

“Everyone choose to sleep like a rock rather than to sleep like the dead.”

Ending:

Happy Ending

Recommendation:

Okay to Watch

(Aluna)