A great movie about a terrible disease

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2006)

Johnnie Depp Christina Ricci Sleepy Hollow is the stylish, nightmarish tale of one man's descent into the world of narcolepsy.
Johnny Depp plays the title character, a New York detective who's life is turned upside down when he is stricken with the rare sleeping disorder. For those of you who don't know, narcolepsy causes the victim to suddenly fall asleep at random times, often when faced with sudden stress or excitement. It can happen anywhere: at the grocery store, while waiting in line at the bank, or during a top secret mission to assassinate a central American dictator.
Depp's brilliant performance takes us deep into the realm of narcolepsy. Some will criticize the role, pointing out that Depp spends most of Sleepy Hollow's 3-hour running time snoozing. But even when sleeping, the actor is somehow able to spill forth the emotion that locks us into this story. It's not an actor up there, pretending to be sleeping. This man is really sleeping; you can feel it.
The man's tale becomes more and more horrifying with time. The disorder disrupts every aspect of his life, including one sadly humiliating scene where he and his girl go bowling, and he falls asleep just as he's about to roll the ball, and goes flying. He eventually loses his driver's license, due to his disorder. From that point on, he is forced to ride horseback, bringing ridicule from those around him.
Finally, near the end of the film, Depp suffers the most devastating symptom of narcolepsy. During the advanced stages of the disease, the vertebrae in the neck become so over-stressed that eventually the entire cranium dislodges and falls off the body. However, the heartless townspeople show no pity, instead mocking him by referring to him as "The Headless Horseman." I can only hope that this film brings some understanding and insight to this terrible disease, so that maybe the public will show more tolerance than the people in Sleepy Hollow did. I also think Oscar nominations should go to Depp, as well Christina Ricci, who plays Depp's granddaughter in the film.
I give Sleepy Hollow two stars.
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