September
07
Tags
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP (15)
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP (15)
Run time: 91mins
Director: Rowan Joffe
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Anne-Marie Duff
Synopsis: A woman wakes up every day remembering nothing – the result of a traumatic accident in her past – until one day, new terrifying truths emerge that force her to question everyone around her…
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP – this stylish Hitchcockian thriller excellently realised by a superb ensemble cast is based on a 2011 best seller by S J Watson. With plenty of twists and turns and set in the endlessly fascination area of amnesia, the film keeps you guessing until the end and is an entertaining romp.
Christine Lucas (Nicole Kidman on top form) has had a horrific accident several years before and now suffers from a form of Anterograde amnesia (a loss of ability to create new memories after the event that caused the amnesia).
“Tonight as I sleep, my mind will erase everything I know today,” Christine tells us at the start of the film. She wakes up every morning beside considerate husband Ben (Colin Firth) disorientated. Doctor Nash (Mark Strong) tells her that he has been working on her condition and has encouraged her to keep a video diary. But as secrets emerge and her doubts and suspicions grow, she begins to believe that she can trust nobody.
An absorbing and intriguing psychological thriller centring on the cinematic favourite theme of amnesia – notably Spellbound (Hitchcock, 1945), Shattered (Wolfgang Petersen, 1991) and Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000) – BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP has a taut script and the right amount of enjoyable tension from director Rowan Joffe, aided by superb performances from Firth, Strong and Kidman.
Images courtesy of Studio Canal UK
