Mojtaba suffers from insomnia. He works in the archives department and is also a devout believer who leads hymns at religious gatherings. One day a mysterious woman begins appearing in his dreams and creates a crack in his unsatisfying daily life. In reality his wife nags endlessly about his health and habits, indifferent to the one thing he wants most: a child. By contrast the woman in his dreams actively works to win him over and reaches out with an irresistible temptation. Mani Moghaddam’s debut film Slumber portrays the crisis of a middle-aged man who chose (or was driven to choose) escape from reality, in a society enduring hopeless collective trauma. As the escape gradually erodes the boundary between dream and reality, it becomes unclear even whether it is a descent into self-pity or the last defense mechanism preserving the self from collapse.
Born in Tehran in 1983, Mani Moghadam earned an MBA from the American University in Dubai and a doctorate in hotel management from the University of Tehran while also studying film directing. Slumber is his feature directorial debut.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
