Film Review: You’re Sleeping Nicole (Tu dors Nicole)
by Pat Frickey
Director: Stéphane Lafleur Canada
What sweet boredom suburbia fosters for twenty-two year old Nicole (Julianne Cote), a young lady just drifting aimlessly through a meaningless life in this post coming-of-age film. Nicole is house-sitting for her parents, who are away for the summer, and her main goal is keeping the swimming pool chlorinated and algae free. In the opening scene she slips away from a one-night stand too disinterested to ever return to his bed. The rest of the summer Nicole hangs out with her best friend Veronique (Catherine St-Laurent) as they plan a never-to-take-place trip to Iceland. The days drift by, and, though she works at a secondhand charity store, Nicole just muddles listlessly through life as the weather becomes more and more sweltering and her insomnia intensifies. Nicole’s much older brother Remi (Marc-Andre Grondin) shows up at her parents’ house with his two bandmates, Pat and JF, to record an album. She snaps out of her lethargy long enough to get JF to drop his trousers, but only to hem them up on her sewing machine. Seems JF won’t be the charming prince to kiss and awaken her, as he has his eye on her best- friend, sexy Veronique. Nicole does have an ardent suitor Martin (Godefroy Reding), a blond, elfish, precocious ten-year-old she once babysat for. Wise way beyond his years, his voice brilliantly dubbed with a deep alluring male voice, Martin is the complete antithesis of Nicole, focused and willing to wait for her forever. Once Martin makes his debut in the film no audience member can resist chuckling at the absurdity and slyly engaging charm of this French Canadian production. The subtitles and the nostalgic black-and-white, 35mm film only work to strengthen its tentacles on your heart.
