Self-Portrait of an Artist as an Insomniac
Much to my surprise, I found an interesting, artsy documentary at the Sechelt Library this week: WIDE AWAKE by Alan Berliner. (Links: Slate – recommended, IMDB – snoring.)
Alan has spent decades suffering with insomnia. The film documents his personal journey to solve the puzzle. It seems he’s tried everything (including valerian root, that’s found in an herbal remedy I take for my busy brain sometimes). But with the birth of his first-born child, the pressure is on to stop living jet-laggged in his own timezone.
I enjoyed his collage sensibility, how he combined vintage footage with contemporary scenes and sounds.
Some of the family footage was a bit painful to watch — a bit too reality-TV for my taste. But perhaps I’m in the minority in my distaste for reality-TV.
When I saw the insane organization of things in his studio, I thought “Wow, this is what you can do with a few extra hours a night!”. I have often wished I needed less sleep than I do. But overall, I wouldn’t trade my “bed” for his. I do love my sleep.
Posted: January 7th, 2008 under Art, Culture Consumed.
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