''Before I Sleep'' is a 2013 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

co-directed, written and produced by Aaron Sharff and Billy Sharff. The film features

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Oth ...

Tom Sizemore Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. (; born November 29, 1961) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his supporting roles in films such as ''Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), ''Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'' (1991), ''Passenger 5 ...

, Bonnie Wright,

Cynthia Gibb Cynthia Gibb (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress and former model who has starred in film and on television. She began her career as a cast member on the musical television drama '' Fame'', based on the movie of the same name. She ...

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in ''King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes fo ...

Eugene Simon Eugene Michael Simon (born 11 June 1992) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Jerome Clarke in the Nickelodeon mystery series ''House of Anubis'' (2011–2013) and Lancel Lannister in the HBO fantasy series '' Game of Thro ...

Campbell Scott Campbell Scott (born July 19, 1961) is an American actor, producer and director. His roles include Steve Dunne in '' Singles'', Mark Usher in ''House of Cards'', Joseph Tobin in ''Damages'', and Richard Parker in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and ...

and

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

. It was formerly titled ''Shakespeare's Daughter''. The film premiered in competition at the

Heartland Film Festival The Heartland International Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. The festival was first held in 1992, its goal is to "inspire filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion pictu ...

on October 19, 2013. The film marks the final film appearance of

James Rebhorn James Robert Rebhorn (September 1, 1948 – March 21, 2014) was an American character actor who appeared in over 100 films, television series, and plays. At the time of his death, he had recurring roles in the series '' White Collar'' and ''Hom ...

before his death.

Synopsis

Eugene Devlin, a once famous, now reclusive poet, searches through his past, looking for redemption and peace.

Cast

as Eugene Devlin **Tanner Flood as Child Eugene Devlin **

as Eugene Devlin (age 20) **

as Eugene Devlin (age 48) *

as Randy *

as Caroline *

as David *

as The Gravedigger * Bonnie Wright as Phoebe **

Clare Foley Clare Foley is an American actress. She is known for playing the roles of Ruby Taylor in '' Do No Harm'', Ashley in '' Sinister'', a young version of Piper in '' Orange Is the New Black'' and Ivy Pepper, a version of Pamela Isley in the first tw ...

as Child Phoebe *

Sasha Spielberg Sasha Rebecca Spielberg (born May 14, 1990), also known by her stage name Buzzy Lee, is an American actress and musician. Life and career Spielberg was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the daughter of film director Steven Spi ...

as Rachel *

Jamie Bamber Jamie Saint John Bamber Griffith (born 3 April 1973), known professionally as Jamie Bamber, is a British actor, known for his roles as Lee Adama in ''Battlestar Galactica'' and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin in the ITV series '' Law & Order: ...

as Paul *

as Priest *

Alice St. Clair Lady Alice St Clair-Erskine (born 1989), also known by her stage name Alice St Clair, is an English actress known for playing Kate Middleton in '' William & Catherine: A Royal Romance'' and Flora Marshall in ''The Crimson Field''. Biography St ...

as Zooey * George Woodard as The Singer * John Blyth Barrymore as The Pianist *

Rusty DeWees Rusty DeWees (born November 15, 1960) is an American actor, producer and writer. He works regionally in Vermont, Off-Broadway, in television, and films. He is best known for his one-man comedy show, ''The Logger''. Early life Rusty DeWees was b ...

as Nurse * Caley Chase as Geena * Daniel Edwin Adams as Parishioner * Eva Schiffman as Little Girl * Chris Lamica as Second Worker

Production

Development

Aaron and Billy wrote the screenplay for the film in 2011, about an old American poet named Eugene. Talking about the film they said that "(it is) an ensemble film that spans three major different times in Eugene's life." They further talked about the character of Eugene "His wife is dead, his daughter can't stand him, and he doesn't have many friends." They also chose to shoot scenes at

The Frost Place The Frost Place is a museum and nonprofit educational center for poetry located at Robert Frost's former home on Ridge Road in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. ...

, the museum and former home of late American poet

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

. They explained their reasons for filming at ''The Frost Place'' by saying that "The Frost Place was an exciting natural step because our main character is a poet and has many similarities to Frost, there's so much art and creativity in this area."

Casting

Talking about the casting Aaron and Billy said that they spend so much time on script that they knew exactly which actor they wanted for the particular role. They explained that "There was a feeling, when we got to casting we just knew who could and couldn't fit this or that role."

was selected to play the role of older Eugene, the directors knew from the start that he was perfect for the role. Billy said about his casting that "David was amazing, to see in the space, among the woods in New England was incredible. Without him we wouldn't have this movie. Maybe he'll finally get knighted for this."

Filming

Filming was done in the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

region of the United States, starting on 22 June 2012, in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, then later moving to

Franconia, New Hampshire Franconia is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2020 census. Set in the White Mountains, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park. Parts of the White Mountain Nation ...

, and ended in August 2012.

Promotion

On 10 June 2013 a few second clip of scene featuring

and Bonnie Wright was released online. In November 2014, first official trailer of the film was released.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, tt2396659, Before I Sleep
Iambic MediaBefore I Sleep Pdf kit
2013 films 2013 drama films American drama films Films shot in New Hampshire Films shot in Vermont American independent films 2013 independent films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films