''Before I Go to Sleep'' is a 2014
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
psychological thriller film
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and ...
written and directed by
Rowan Joffé
Rowan Marc Joffé (born 1973) is a British screenwriter and television director, director. He is the son of director Roland Joffé and actress Jane Lapotaire, and half-brother of actress Nathalie Lunghi. Joffé began writing plays in university ...
and based on the 2011 novel of the same name by
S. J. Watson.
An international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Sweden, the film stars
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
,
Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (20 ...
,
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...
, and
Anne-Marie Duff
Anne-Marie Duff (born 8 October 1970) is an Irish actress and narrator. She is an accomplished theatre actress and has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. She has also received acclaim and awards for her television and film work.
After ...
.
Plot
Christine Lucas wakes up next to a man she does not know. The man explains that he is her husband, Ben, and that she suffered severe brain damage from a car accident ten years earlier, resulting in her having no memory of her life from her early twenties onwards.
Christine receives treatment from Mike Nasch, a
neuropsychologist
Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology often focus on how injuries or illnesses of t ...
, who gives her a camera to record her thoughts and progress each day. He also calls her every morning to remind her to watch the video in the camera, but instructs her to keep the camera hidden from Ben. Nasch reveals that her memory loss occurred after she was attacked and left for dead near an airport hotel; they both surmise that Ben tells Christine it was due to a car accident to avoid upsetting her.
Over the course of her treatment, Christine faintly remembers a red-haired woman named Claire. Ben tells her that Claire was a friend who couldn't handle Christine's condition and ended contact with her. Later, Christine recalls that she has a son, Adam. She angrily confronts Ben over hiding their child, but he says Adam died of meningitis when he was eight. Christine also remembers the name Mike and believes it may be the name of her attacker, which she tells Nasch during an appointment. He hugs her to comfort her and almost kisses her, but she pulls back and then notices on his name badge that his first name is Mike. Christine flees. Nasch later tells Christine he is not able to treat her anymore because he has developed feelings for her.
Christine learns that, several years after her attack, Ben had placed her in an assisted care facility and divorced her, then had a change of heart and brought her home to live with him. She also discovers that Claire had been trying to contact her at the care facility. Christine obtains Claire's phone number and meets her. Claire reveals that Christine had embarked on an affair prior to her attack, while Ben and Claire had a one-time sexual encounter following the attack, due to their shared grief at Christine's memory loss.
Claire gives Christine a letter written to her by Ben; he asked Claire to give it to Christine should she ever be well enough to read it. In the letter, Ben tells Christine that he loves her, but that he had to leave her for Adam’s sake, as he had begun to be afraid of her. Christine shows Ben the videos she has made on the digital camera. However, Ben angrily accuses Christine of having an affair with Nasch, strikes her and storms out. Later by phone call, Claire informs Christine that Ben claims not to have seen Christine for several years. Christine describes the Ben she is living with and they realise he is not Ben. As she attempts to escape the house, "Ben" renders her unconscious.
The next morning, Christine again awakens with no memory but she finds the camera and sees her entry saying she loves "Ben" and wants to make a life with him. "Ben" calls Christine and tells her to pack for a trip that night. He then visits Nasch and tells him to stay away from Christine. That night, "Ben" takes her to a hotel close to where she had been found after the attack. He reveals that he is Mike, the man she had an affair with. Christine then remembers that Mike had wanted Christine to reveal their affair to Ben, but Christine refused and their argument culminated in Mike viciously attacking Christine, resulting in her amnesia. Mike deletes the videos on her camera and states that he is no longer interested in playing the part of Ben. He tells Christine that they shall live together or no one shall live. Another struggle ensues, but this time Christine manages to get away. She sets off the hotel fire alarm then flees, and is seen telling her story on the camera while waiting in an ambulance.
Christine wakes up in a hospital bed and is visited by Nasch, this time as a friend and not as her therapist. He assures her the man responsible for her condition has been arrested. He tells Christine that she has visitors and that he hopes the visit will provide the breakthrough they have been hoping for. The real Ben appears with Adam, who is alive. Christine’s memories begin to return when she sees her son.
Cast
Production
On 1 May 2011,
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
bought the film rights of the novel ''
Before I Go to Sleep
''Before I Go to Sleep'' is the first novel by S. J. Watson published in Spring 2011. It became both a ''Sunday Times'' and ''The New York Times'' bestseller and has been translated into over 40 languages, and has become a bestseller in Franc ...
'' written by
S. J. Watson and hired
Rowan Joffé
Rowan Marc Joffé (born 1973) is a British screenwriter and television director, director. He is the son of director Roland Joffé and actress Jane Lapotaire, and half-brother of actress Nathalie Lunghi. Joffé began writing plays in university ...
to direct and write the script.
In February 2012
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
was in talks to join the film; later in May she joined to star as Christine.
On 31 October 2012
Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (20 ...
also joined the cast of the film.
According to ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' on 16 November 2012, Kidman said she wanted
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...
to work with her again. They had already worked together in a drama ''
The Railway Man''. On 6 February 2013, it was confirmed that Firth had joined the cast to lead with Kidman.
Filming
The film was shot in London and at
Twickenham Studios
Twickenham Studios (formerly known as Twickenham Film Studios) is a film studio in St Margarets, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, that is used by various motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Ralph ...
.
Release
The film was released in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2014 and released in the United States on 31 October 2014.
Marketing
On 3 July 2014, the first UK trailer of the film was released by StudioCanal UK.
Critical reception
The film was met with generally negative reviews from critics. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds a rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "If it doesn't completely avoid thriller clichés, ''Before I Go to Sleep'' still offers a stylish, fast-paced, and well-acted diversion." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 41 out of 100, based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
It has been unfavorably compared with ''
Memento'', a film released 14 years earlier. "What the brilliant ''Memento'' once used as a way to explore a truly inventive way of storytelling is here just a gimmick. It's shallow, it's silly, it's pat. It's... forgettable," wrote the ''
New Jersey Star-Ledger''. "
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
's 2000 brain-twister ''Memento'' starred
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young (Neighbours), Mike Young in ...
as a man with a similar malady. The earlier film rigorously stuck within the logical confines of its premise. Joffé's is filled with far too many contradictions and implausible situations," wrote ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
''.
Kidman's performance has been positively received. Writing for ''Daily Star'', critic Andy Lea said in a positive review that "Kidman puts in a chilling performance as the frail but determined Christine." David Edwards of ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' stated, "Leading lady Nicole Kidman hasn't been this good in ages" finishing with "Kidman is on top form as the nervy, spiky woman walking a psychological tightrope."
See also
* ''
Mithya
''Mithya'' ( en, Illusion) is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language film co-written and directed by Rajat Kapoor and produced by Planman Motion Pictures. It stars Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah, and Vinay Pathak in pivotal roles. The score ...
''
* ''
50 First Dates
''50 First Dates'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Peter Segal and starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin and Dan Aykroyd in supporting roles. It follows the story of Henry, a womanizing m ...
'', a 2004 film directed by
Peter Segal
Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films ''Tommy Boy'' (1995), ''My Fellow Americans'' (1996), '' The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' (2000), ''Anger Managemen ...
* ''
Memento'', a 2000 film directed by
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
* ''
The Red Squirrel (La Ardilla Roja)'', a 1993 Spanish film directed by
Julio Medem
Julio Medem Lafont (born 21 October 1958) is a Basque film director, producer, editor, and screenwriter.
Biography
Medem was born on 21 October 1958 in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain and showed an interest in movies since childhood, when ...
*
Reverse chronology
Reverse chronology is a narrative structure and method of storytelling whereby the Plot (narrative), plot is revealed in reverse order.
In a story employing this technique, the first Scene (fiction), scene shown is actually the conclusion to the ...
*
* ''
Clean Slate (1994 film)
''Clean Slate'' is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Mick Jackson. The film stars Dana Carvey as a private investigator who is the key witness in a murder case. After suffering a head injury, however, he has developed a rare form of amnesia ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Before I Go To Sleep
2014 films
2014 drama films
2010s mystery thriller films
2014 psychological thriller films
British mystery thriller films
Films about amnesia
Films based on British novels
Films based on crime novels
Films directed by Rowan Joffé
Films scored by Edward Shearmur
Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios
Films shot in London
Scott Free Productions films
StudioCanal films
2010s English-language films
Films produced by Avi Lerner
2010s British films