Experiencing Interruptions?

El Sonámbulo (The Sleepwalker)

In this experimental dance short, the film’s protagonist, Sleepwalker, is cursed with experiencing his waking life through somnambulism. Travelling through the streets of Los Angeles, the character reflects on his life, gets lost in his memories, and tries to answer the film’s core question: what does it mean to be an artist?

  • Dmitriy Usov
    Director
    The Dreamer, The Unhuman Voice, Project Romeo
  • Alan Corvaia
    Key Cast
    "The Sleepwalker"
    Luna Azul, The War Within
  • Brandon Schloss
    Cinematographer
    Mastery
  • Avelino Jorge
    Composer
    Everything In This World Is Exactly What It Is
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Experimental, Dance, Poetic
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 25, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.66:1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Dmitriy Usov

Dmitriy Usov is a writer-director based in Los Angeles. Growing up in an international environment, Dmitriy gained a diverse perspective on storytelling's power; his aim is to bring people together and create connection through universal truths explored in his films. His narrative work dives into themes of desire, dreams, and deception through magical realism, surreal imagery, and dark fantasy.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Sleepwalker (El Sonámbulo) was created from a realization that much of my life felt like sleepwalking; I would wake up, go to work, talk to people, but inside I was asleep and disconnected from the natural world around me. The film explores that sentiment through the movement of the protagonist’s body who has lost his agency to forces way beyond his understanding.

Set in Los Angeles, the Sleepwalker drifts through the city in a dance-like motion, feeling estranged in a place that he calls home. I wanted to present a less glamorized and a more isolated side of Los Angeles, a city often romanticized by the media, which is in reality an alienating town where many dreamers feel like they are just a number in a big game. As an artist, I often struggle differentiating some of my dreams from my memories, and more often than not, seeing the purpose in my craft. This film is a personal meditation on what does being an artist in this city feels like.