‘Sleeping Dog’ Netflix Series Review - It’s The Audience Who Ends Up Sleeping

Directed by Stephan Lacant and Francis Meletzky, the new Netflix series titled Sleeping Dog left me perplexed and jaded. I tried grasping each frame, each moment, but everything evaded my senses. The show kept unfolding in front of my eyes, though nothing really registered or made much sense. The first episode especially passed by in a blur. I didn't understand which character committed suicide in jail and why others were rushing here and there. I didn't even remember any names. Thankfully, Netflix has a synopsis of all the episodes, and those texts immensely helped me understand whatever was going on in the first episode.

I wish I could say that after digesting the basics, Sleeping Dog got better for me. It didn't. The series is incredibly impersonal. The people, both in front of and behind the camera, fail to make their presence felt. The characters experience sexual pleasure, frustration, heartbreak, and fondness, but the audience remains unaffected. Consider the scene where Britney (Melodie Wakivuamina) confesses to her lover that she is basically using her to adopt a little girl. This conversation should have stung the viewer, but it's executed so feebly that you think the two women are talking about an expired item in their refrigerator. Or take another scene where Jule (Luise von Finckh) hears gunshots during a phone call. This tragic moment loses its power by following visual clichés (broad smiles coupled with lovey-dovey discussions).

It's not that Sleeping Dog is devoid of interesting elements. There is a chubby kid who perhaps thinks she can fix familial problems by losing weight, and there is a police officer who feels guilty after accidentally hurting a child. But the series fails to do anything meaningful with these threads. It converts them into footnotes because it isn't willing to go for depth. The directors are solely engrossed by the central mystery of a prisoner's death. This is why the characters merely dispense expository dialogues and just move the plot forward (one of them, a homeless woman, is there to simply fill up the crowd). They also talk about personal aspects of their life, but these moments are not shot with vigor and tenderness. On top of that, the dramatis personae are so flat they become talking heads. Nothing they do or speak seems worth our time. Every scene has the same tone and same level of brightness and exists on the same frequency, making Sleeping Dog extremely dreary.

The actors are bland and do little in terms of "performance." All the series asks them to do is say their lines and make urgent expressions. Only Melika Foroutan injects some excitement into the atmosphere by casually doling out racist comments. But let's direct our attention towards the final revelations because Sleeping Dog was created for those "shocking" moments. After boring us for what seems like an eternity, the series excitedly jumps like a kid and screams, "Look! Look at these twists!" Well, the reveals don't really leave you thrilled. You watch them and say, "Oh, okay," instead of, "Wow, that's so amazing!" Sleeping Dog has an air of nonchalance and moves mechanically. Things just happen on the screen while we watch everything dispassionately. There is nothing to think about or talk about after coming out of it. I don't know anything about the dog, but while watching this show, the audience can very well find themselves sleeping.

Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times