Insomnia

In my cinema class we just finished watching a "whydunnit" filmed called Insomnia.  This is one of Robin Williams' dramatic roles where he stars as a writer/killer in a chase from a sleep deprived detective. Also starring Al Pacino and Hilary Swank, this movie is about two LA based detectives sent to cover a case in a part of a Alaska where the sun never sets for six months.

During the film the constant light becomes an enemy to Pacino's character Detective Dormer, who never sleeps for the week he's there, having the sun light keeping him up. This leads him to lose his mind little by little running on no energy, and finding himself in more trouble than the suspect. No spoilers...

Williams' character is a crime writer in this small secluded town who finds himself in the middle of an investigation of a missing teenage girl. He and Dormer find themselves working closer together than they have liked trying to keep each others secrets under wraps.


What was interesting to find about the film was that it is actually a remake of a Norwegian original. The Norwegian screenplay happens to carry a little more darker/disturbing undertones, and happens to be a little more explicit. Also the ending was changed last minute, not from the original version, but just from the original American screenplay.

Another Fun Fact: Detective Will Dormer's name is derived from the Latin word "dormire" which means "to sleep"