Continuity mistake: When Robin Williams is being questioned by the police for the first time, one of the cops is talking to him. Very soon afterward the cop leaves the room and is walking away. We see the cop in the distance in another room, yet we hear the cop talking to Robin Williams again as Al Pacino shuts the door. Almost immediately, the camera angle changes to the cop as he finishes talking. He is standing in front of Robin Williams again.
![Insomnia](/images/titles/2000-2999/2347_sm.jpg)
Insomnia (2002)
Plot summary
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Robin Williams, Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan, Oliver 'Ole' Zemen
Under the glare of the region's perpetual daylight, Dormer and Hap close in on the primary suspect, reclusive novelist Walter Finch. During a tense stakeout on a rocky, fog-shrouded beach, Finch slips into the mist and out of Dormer's grasp. As he makes his escape, shots ring out…and Hap is killed.
As he struggles to cope with his sense of responsibility and remorse over his partner's death, Dormer is forced into a psychological game of cat-and-mouse by the brilliantly malevolent Finch. The stakes escalate as Dormer contends with an unproven but perceptive local cop and becomes increasingly entangled in Finch's web of manipulation.
Unable to find respite from the relentless Midnight Sun or his own distorted judgment, the dangerously sleep-deprived detective finds his stability gravely threatened.
Ellie Burr: A good cop can't sleep because he's missing a piece of the puzzle. And a bad cop can't sleep because his conscience won't let him.
Trivia: Not a mistake, just something nice to notice: "Dormer" sounds like "dormeur" that is to say the French for "sleeper".
Question: At the end, Maura Tierney is lying on Al Pacino's bed, having a nap/sleep. Are we then to presume they had sex before Pacino went to the airport to catch his plane back to LA?
Chosen answer: Since no answer is given in the film, the audience must make their own assumptions.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: OMG, even my 7-year old daughter realised that the scene was made for the exact opposite reason. Dormer and Tierney talked "all night" and Tierney was sleepy. Dormer and Tierney had a genuine (if short-lived) friendship. Her sleeping on his bed only referred to their trust in one another. His bed had no metaphorical meaning. In fact, it was Ellie who developed a strong crush on Dormer. A crush that interfered with her objectivity as a policewoman.