Slumberland: A Sleepy Adventure

Slumberland is a fun family adventure movie with a deep and meaningful plot that was recently released on Netflix. The movie begins with a young girl named Nemo (Marlow Barkley) who loves her father (played by Kyle Chandler) and the many stories he tells her. They lived on a remote island where Nemo learned everything about becoming a lighthouse keeper. However, being a lighthouse keeper comes with its dangers, and a bad storm unfortunately leaves Nemo in her uncle’s care.

Her uncle Phillip (played by Chris O’Dowd) gives off feelings of loss, regret, sadness, and the need for closure. He made me feel very uncomfortable for Nemo. He seemed completely disconnected from his feelings and her. 

After moving in with her uncle, Nemo begins to have vivid dreams. In these dreams she meets Flip (played by Jason Momoa), a character from her father’s bedtime stories. Her father described Flip as his partner in crime as outlaws. Flip is not visiting Nemo’s dreams to console her about her father’s death, but he is searching for a map to the bottom of the Sea of Nightmares to find pearls that grant wishes. Thus, their adventures together begin.

As Nemo and Flip start their journey together, viewers can begin to pick up on all the rules and regulations on dream hopping. Flip has his own list for Nemo: keep a low profile, stay focused, and to always remember that he is her boss, not her friend (beginning his character arc, originally as an outlaw with little to no emotions towards others). The other important part of dream hopping is that dreamers cannot die in their own dreams, but they can die in other’s dreams.

 Although these are only a few of the rules that are taught, there are many more funny rules and “fun facts” (that may not actually be facts, but are stated as such in the movie). My favorite fun fact (that is thoroughly explored and visualized in the movie) was that the number one dream in Canada is of people riding massive geese as they fly through the sky.

After Flip explained all the rules and regulations on dream hopping, and they dealt with their first nightmare together, the movie began to run smoothly.  They begin dream hopping with ease and have many funny moments together until they meet Agent Green. 

Agent Green (played by Weruche Opia) is a member of the Bureau of Subconscious Activity. Her only goal before retiring is to lock Flip up, but her character is not cruel. Throughout her many appearances, she is fun, realistic, honest and tired. She helps as a guide for Nemo and treats her with respect. Inevitably, Agent Green tries to steer Nemo away from the dangers of dream hopping and informs her that she will put her away in dream “juvie” if she continues to hop through others’ dreams.

Overall, the movie does a fantastic job in differentiating between the waking world and sleeping world. It also does well with references between the two, which helps viewers understand the plot and ending. The support and conflicts of characters in the waking world impact and determine what happens next in Nemo’s sleep. This leads her to ask Flip who he is in the waking world. Maybe Flip is someone she already knows? But, watchers will have to wait to find out who Flip is. 

The movie was a fantastic watch. I enjoyed following the storyline that was ever evolving and created a stir of emotions inside me. I felt sadness, happiness, and hope while watching the movie. The colorful scenes held my attention for the entire movie, and left me wanting to enjoy more vibrant moments with Flip and Nemo.