MovieChat Forums > Sleep with Me (2009) Discussion > Film vs. the novel

Film vs. the novel

posted 14 years ago by timberbutte
2 replies | jump to latest

Saw the film first (thanks to my English pal who sends me BBC films not likely to make it to the States), and thought the acting was nuanced, particularly the 2 female leads, and the story was tantalizing. But I didn’t think the ending quite fit.

I was ready for Richard to eschew convention and invite Sylvie to come with him (he did pause and turn back but Sylvie was gone), so that the three might find a way forward together. Somehow, I didn’t think Sylvie would give up, not after all she’d been through. She cared too much about Lelia to completely give her up – even if she had to share. And I think she had feelings, albeit conflicted, about Richard. Not saying it would have worked, but Sylvie brought out the unconventional in Lelia as well.

Sylvie’s final lament, “What about me?” didn’t work for either. Her dismal childhood suggests a longing for a sense of family, that's true. But she had patiently worked to find a way to create one. She did not seem the type to give in when the possibility was unfolding before her.

Anyway, off I went to find the novel (no small feat here in the US). I was delighted to discover it was so well written. I can see what attracted Davies to the book. Briscoe’s characterizations are as sharp as scalpel on flesh. She sees deeply and clearly into relationships between men and women, and women and women without resorting to stereotype.

I was glad to read (see post about article above) that she is happy with the adaptation; “at heart it remains just what it was: an intense psychological drama about character and desire.” In this era of movie making, an author certainly is lucky if the tone of one’s work makes it to the big screen for most assuredly the details will change.

Which brings me to the ending, and yes, it is different in the novel in two ways. First, in the novel Richard and Lelia do in fact engage in a passionate coupling before they part by the river – in the film, Richard declines Sylvie’s heartfelt offer. And in the last scene in the book, Richard does see Sylvia in a park BUT (unlike in the film) she is holding a baby who looks decidedly like Lelia and Richard’s own daughter. Obviously that scene doesn’t make sense without the penultimate Thames side union.

In the novel, Sylvie has managed to create a family for herself (with Richard’s help). In the film she births a novel instead. A good substitute? Depends on how you feel about motherhood, or maybe it’s Davies’ projection.

Do I think more or less of the film, now that I’ve read the book? Neither, really - liked them both tho' appreciated the novel more. I would be curious to know the thinking behind the decision to depart from the original ending – which I do find truer to the characters. Perhaps Davies thought the storyline controversial enough without showing Richard in such a conflicted state that he acts on his passion for Sylvie when his wife so obviously needs him. I do think Richard comes off more gallantly in the film at Sylvie’s expense than he deserves.

One last detail - in the novel Sylvie's baby brother dies of SIDS (infant cot death) and there's no question about it. The film's ambiguous treatment of the infant's death may have added some suspense to Sylvie's motivations although this was unnecessary IMHO. Anamaria Marinca and Jodhi May create the suspense in their performances.

I'll definitely be on the look out for Briscoe's next novel...

[–] hooper-xxx 14 years ago

Saw the film first (thanks to my English pal who sends me BBC films not likely to make it to the States)

I have a pal like that too, he's called The Internet.

[–] pmalt 14 years ago

A very thoughtful post --- I have not read the book, but I too felt some disconnect at the ending. Forgetting it was an adaptation, my first thought was that the screenwriter had changed stories midway through. Beginning with a sophisticated, rather lighthearted character study of literate young people and the lure of infidelity, it changed into a bit of a mystery/thriller, with Sylvie as the heavy. I could not help but think that she murdered her baby brother; the movie at least implies that rather strongly, and was in the process of somehow trying to harm Lelia and her baby, though relenting at lat and allowing Richard to rescue them. I found Sylvie an annoying character from the very start, with that too-intimate stare of hers, her sense of entitlement, and her intrusive presumptions on the friendliness and innocence of others. So when she reveals herself to be even wickeder than a mere seductress, I was rather gratified.

Lastly, as a writer myself, I find Richard's calm acceptance of her novel's global success to be incredible. No writer would ever be so blase about a homewrecking character like Sylvie becoming a major literary figure. He would be galled at the very least, if not utterly eaten up with ire and envy. Maybe I'm projecting, but his just subsiding into domestic bliss while the evil Sylvie reaps fame, money, and critical success is unimaginable to me. So if the book has her merely starting a family of her own instead (a horrifying thought given her treatment of her little brother) that seems more believable.