What would it be like to wake up each morning not knowing who you are? What if you could not recognise your loved ones? How would it feel to completely forget over a decade of your life? These are the very intriguing questions posed by the central concept of Before I Go to Sleep. This psychological thriller, adapted from the 2011 novel of the same name by S.J. Watson, deals with some very complex and challenging themes. It is unfortunate that the film fails to live up to its potential, instead falling disappointingly into cliché and melodrama.
Christine (Nicole Kidman) wakes up each morning with no memory of the day before. Each day her husband Ben (Colin Firth) must explain to her that she was in a bad accident many years earlier, and as a result her brain can only retain memory one day at a time, so her mind is essentially wiped each night as she sleeps. Christine begins working with a doctor (Mark Strong) in an attempt to recover her memory, and as they make progress Christine begins to doubt whether she can trust either of the men in her life.
Before I Go to Sleep is one of those high-concept films that has a very clever idea at its core, and its success is therefore determined by whether it can live up to that central premise. The premise of Before I Go to Sleep is not necessarily ridiculous, as this memory affliction must be medically accurate, but within the context of the film it comes across as something of a gimmick. Nothing that occurs onscreen feels remotely believable and a large number of plot holes mean it does not hold up upon reflection. There is a moment when the film pulls the rug out from under the audience’s feet, and for a moment it feels like it has worked. The realisation is genuinely surprising, but makes no sense once the film is viewed as a whole. One late scene even involves a character explaining their plan to another for no apparent reason, Bond villain style. It’s incredibly lazy film-making.
The saving grace of the film is the incredibly dedicated central performance by the ever-reliable Nicole Kidman. Her performance as Christine brings to mind her incredible performance in 2001’s The Others, where she played another woman plagued by paranoia. It is a testament to Kidman’s incredible skills that she manages to make the film somewhat riveting in parts due to her acting alone. It’s just a shame that nothing around her lives up to her contribution. Colin Firth, so good in most of the roles he tackles, looks like he just showed up for the pay check. Firth does not seem convinced by what he is doing, and the complexity of his character never really rings true. This is also a fault in the screenplay, but Firth is unable to elevate the material in the same way Kidman can. Completing the main trio of characters is Mark Strong, who is essentially just playing Mark Strong. Strong is a solid actor but he doesn’t have much to do here.
Before I Go to Sleep is a high concept thriller that never manages to live up to its potential. There’s a great story begging to be told here and perhaps the novel told it better, but it really doesn’t work in this clumsy adaptation. A suspension of disbelief is necessary when watching any film, but there comes a point where the audience can’t suspend their disbelief any further. Before I Go to Sleep oversteps this point and is unable to recover. Nicole Kidman’s excellent performance can’t save a film that forgets the number one rule of good film-making: respect your audience.
Review Score: TWO STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Before I Go to Sleep is currently screening in cinemas around the country.
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