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Before I Go to Sleep is a 2014 mystery psychological thriller film written and directed by Rowan Joffé and based on the 2011 novel Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson; this film stars Nicole Kidman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, and Anne-Marie Duff. Christine (Kidman), an Anterograde amnesiac caused by a traumatic incident, begins questioning everything about her life when terrifying new truths present themselves.
As usual, this is the point where I am compelled to overshare about details of my life that have little to no relevancy to this film by openly admitting I have the strangest obsession with Colin Firth. In my defense, this is not entirely my fault, and is purely the result of having taken a ‘Romantic Comedies’ class (Before you ask, YES, it was an elective during my undergraduate career). Having seen and been forced to analyzed Firth’s behavior in titles such as 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘦 and 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘺 my attachment to him as a person has transcended above a level that should be humanly possible: Any moment he is seen on screen my simpleton of a brain goes “𝘔𝘐𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘋𝘈𝘙𝘊𝘠 😍😍😍” and any speck of common sense I possess gets tossed right out of the nearest window.
With that said, the pacing of this film was reminiscent of any video I have seen of a newborn giraffe attempting to stand: It wombles (with confidence) and forgets the importance of learning to walk before you can run. Christine’s condition (an inability to form new memories) is reaffirmed and made conceptually possible through the use of various storytelling elements - in example, repetitive sequencing that suggests an overarching lapse in memory - but unintentionally trips over itself in ways that distances audience members from this primary source of contention. For one, it is harder over time to discern how much of the truths revealed to Christine are spurred on by measures taken to investigate on her own behalf versus those that feel intuitive or aggressively random. Secondly, the transition between emotions in which dialogue is the driving force is carelessly accelerated and often doesn’t reflect interactions that feel natural or seamless.
Probably not much of a surprise at all given the inspiration for this novel, but much of the source material is changed as a result of an inevitable time constraint. Some of these changes are harmless and ultimately have little bearing on the entirety of the plot. On the other, many changes between the book and movie facilitate the elements of this film that make it an easy target for cynicism and heavy-handed dismissal. Watson’s novel makes a more meaningful effort to explore Christine’s struggle with remembering the past, and is contrasted by this film's laser focus on the present as her most immediate and present point of concern. Because of this, the helplessness felt by her character (that is meant to resonate with viewers) translates poorly on screen and subsequently creates even more space between the emotions portrayed by the characters and those the audience is expected to.
Without going into much detail that would be considered spoilers the book ends on a point that is intentionally obscure and appropriately encompasses the amount of mystery that defines the plot as a cohesive unit. The author of ‘Before I Go To Sleep’ has spoken out in approval for this change - but mentions this as being the direct result of my aforementioned time restraint. It is only in hindsight that I can theoretically complain about these changes, but my point still ultimately stands tall: Joffé’s intentions and the conclusion of this film fail to meet with grace and instead forcibly crash upon impact.
‘Before I Go To Sleep’ speaks to subject matter that can be naturally engaging, but makes few attempts in conjuring what would be the bare minimum of effort needed to enjoy this film; furthermore, I would be hard-pressed to consider this worth watching more than once and it is nearly impossible to eagerly recommend.
TL DR: Between a professor-who-shall-not-be-named setting the bar for men ridiculously low and Christopher Nolan setting the bar for plots revolving around amnesia ridiculously high watching this was a reluctantly pleasant experience that I will gladly and enthusiastically leave in my rear-view mirror.
Good going my guys.
Good freaking going. 🤜🤛
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January 27, 2015 "Please retry" | Digital Copy + | 1 | $8.95 | $2.90 |
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