Sublime is the second release from Raw Feed, the new specialty imprint from Warner Brothers. The first was the slasher film Rest Stop. This second film steps in a different direction, allowing the label to demonstrate some diversity in what it is going to offer. It steps away from the blood buckets, although it does have its share, and moves into more of a psychological horror style, more Jacob's Ladder and less A Nightmare on Elm Street. It tells the story of an everyman who is confronted with the fears of his life. Sublime is a film that tries very hard, but just does not quite make it to the end, moving in fits and spurts. Is it worth seeing? Perhaps.

The story centers on George Grieves (Tom Cavanagh), an everyman type character with a loving family and a successful career. He lives a comfortable life, although his life is questionable, a fact that is pointed out to him rather pointedly by his brother. This brings George's life into something of a crisis. His fears begin to crowd for space in his mind as he prepares for an impending surgical procedure.

George goes to the hospital to undergo a colonoscopy. He meets his doctor, Dr. Sharazin, and his nurse, Zoe, and heads off for the procedure. Here is where everything takes a turn. When George wakes up there is a distinct feeling that things are not quite right. Things happen that all point towards some sort of mistake. He has wounds where there shouldn't be wounds, the people around him act strangely, and George finds it impossible to convince anyone that anything is wrong. Is George losing his mind? Perhaps his fears are becoming reality. Whatever the case is, George's life has taken a turn for the bizarre.

The story sets itself up decently, but each point is given away by a flashback, so if you do pay attention you will be able to pick up on it, robbing it of any power to really shock or allow audience revelations. It is a film that is reaching for the stars, but fails to break free of the atmosphere.

The film feels long. As I sat there in front of the television, I kept glancing at my watch waiting for the end to come. Sure, there are some interesting points, but the pacing is so slow that it really taxed my attention span. For the record, I do not have a problem with a slower paced film, so long as it can hold my attention.

Sublime has a lot of interesting elements. I love the whole fear manifested aspect and the main character's decent into his own personal hell. There is also a very creepy atmosphere set up; you can feel your skin crawl as the effective performance of Tom Cavanagh combines with the well-done score. When the twist comes (and you know its coming; in fact you have probably already guessed it), it still garners a reaction. Then there is the torture scene, featuring some wonderful Samuel L. Jackson-esque speechifying from Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. This was probably my favorite part of the film just for being so strange.