[rating=8.00]
In taking on Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, director Mike Flanagan was put into what might be the most unenviable position a filmmaker has been in for quite some time. There are dueling interests at play here which force Flanagan to walk the thinnest of lines to ensure the greatest amount of satisfaction.
On the one hand, Doctor Sleep tells the story of an adult Danny Torrance, who survived a horrifying ordeal in the Overlook hotel as depicted in The Shining. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of that novel has made such an impact on the culture that one simply can’t ignore it. On the other hand, King notoriously hates what Kubrick did to the narrative of his novel, and he’s not afraid to remind you of that.
The tug-of-war between King and Kubrick would tear a lesser filmmaker apart. Flanagan, however, embraces it, concocting a film that admirably serves as a sequel to Kubrick’s vision while staying true to King’s vision. Flanagan, of course, is a filmmaker who knows his King, having already written and directed another seemingly unadaptable King work, Gerald’s Game.
His familiarity with King serves him well in Doctor Sleep, which allows the director to recontextualize Kubrick’s version in a way that better aligns that film with King’s vision. Surprisingly, he does so without stepping on the toes of the cinematic master. The Shining still stands alone, a stalwart of the horror genre but Flanagan’s mastery adds a new layer to the narrative.
Doctor Sleep finds Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) as a shiftless, aimless adult suffering from PTSD. His shine has faded over the years, though it comes back stronger as he cleans up his life and finds a job in a hospice, where he uses his powers to help ease the dying into the other side. He also becomes a sort of long-distance shine-pal to a young girl, Abra (Kyliegh Curran), whose shining is brighter than even Danny’s. Those powers capture the attention of a group of roving vampires, calling themselves The Knot, who, under the leadership of Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), seek out and devour the souls of children who shine. Now, to protect his young friend, Danny must confront the demons of his past and go on a journey that leads him back to the Overlook.
Where the movie and the book differ primarily is in the fact that in King’s The Shining the hotel is burned to the ground at the novel’s conclusion and in Kubrick’s it’s left standing. This was a major point of contention for King and one of the hurdles Flanagan had to jump in order to get the writer to sign off on this adaptation. What it does do, however, is allow for Flanagan to engage in a deeper, more complex exploration of PTSD and generational trauma.
That’s the real monster of Doctor Sleep, and it’s a monster Flanagan handles with the delicate sensibilities it deserves. The trauma Danny endured as a child hangs over every moment of the narrative, ever lurking, ever waiting. We so rarely wait for the monster to jump out from the shadows because the monster is already there, in every frame. The film works best when it’s dealing with this monster though, admittedly, Flanagan’s recreations of moments, sets, and characters from Kubrick’s film are done shockingly well.
Though at times he’s a bit too reliant on Kubrick’s imagery—yes, Mike, we get it, the woman in 237 is scary—Flanagan still does a remarkable job at conjoining the disparate threads between the iconic film and King’s work in such a way that brings it all into a better alignment with the original vision. King’s original climax for Doctor Sleep is better served with the Overlook still standing and leads to some exciting confrontations as well as some beautiful recreations of iconic scenes and settings.
Where the film, uh, shines brightest, however, is in its characters. McGregor does a fantastic job updating the character of Danny and portraying the emotional nuances of PTSD and trauma recovery. Ferguson, meanwhile, stands as a sharp contrast to this, becoming a sort of physical embodiment of trauma. She is a modern boogieman, one which hides behind a sweet smile and calming demeanor to lure you into a horrific trap.
The script falters somewhat in the first act. Admittedly there’s a heavy load the opening third of the movie has to contend with so Flanagan leaves the audience to form a few conclusions for themselves. Abra and Danny’s relationship feels short-changed in the beginning and The Knot isn’t explored as deeply as it could have been. Still, what works in Doctor Sleep works so well that complaints feel trivial in comparison.
Flanagan has long since proven himself to be a director capable of interesting takes on more traditional horror tropes and that’s served well here. What’s his done is take dueling sensibilities and created a dual sandbox in which to play around. The results don’t always land well but the ones that do hit hard enough to make a serious impact. It might never match the cultural weight of The Shining but Flanagan has still produced a solid follow up in its own right.
Doctor Sleep is now playing in theaters everywhere.
