As far as thriller ending goes, Before I Go to Sleep is pretty standard. You’re quite familiar with it, I’m sure: a woman crawls to escape but then a menacing hand grabs her by the ankle. Cue said woman trying her hardest to reach for the nearest blunt object.
Yes, it’s kind of a spoiler, but once you’ve seen this scene, you know what will happen. Which is disappointing because the first half of the movie holds promise, a mystery that unfolds organically and in a non-flashy manner.
The film is based on a best-selling book of the same name by author SJ Watson. I haven’t read it, and considering the many plot holes I found in the cinematic version, I feel obliged to read it (one of these days). Nicole Kidman stars as a woman who suffers a chronic memory condition in which she will forget everything about her life the next morning (her recollection stops in the memories of her 20s). Now, she’s 40, and each day, thanks to a video journal she made, has to relearn her life that she now shares with her husband (a cool and tortured Colin Firth).
And, as a result of a clandestine daily sessions with a shrink (Mark Strong) in a dimly lit parking garage no less, she gradually learns about the cause of her condition, and, eventually, how she shouldn’t trust anyone—including her husband!
Yes, it’s a juicy material, but one that is handled superficially despite the efforts of Nicole Kidman to keep the mystery element afloat. She’s reactive as well as proactive, and one wishes it’s the latter when the movie reaches its climax. This has the potential to be a classic Hitchcock-ian thriller, or even as good as Kidman’s own The Others or The Interpreter, but unfortunately it has to settle for an “almost satisfying thriller”.
Verdict: See it only if there are no other options in the theatre (or if you're a big fan of Nicole Kidman, like me)
Yes, it’s kind of a spoiler, but once you’ve seen this scene, you know what will happen. Which is disappointing because the first half of the movie holds promise, a mystery that unfolds organically and in a non-flashy manner.
The film is based on a best-selling book of the same name by author SJ Watson. I haven’t read it, and considering the many plot holes I found in the cinematic version, I feel obliged to read it (one of these days). Nicole Kidman stars as a woman who suffers a chronic memory condition in which she will forget everything about her life the next morning (her recollection stops in the memories of her 20s). Now, she’s 40, and each day, thanks to a video journal she made, has to relearn her life that she now shares with her husband (a cool and tortured Colin Firth).
And, as a result of a clandestine daily sessions with a shrink (Mark Strong) in a dimly lit parking garage no less, she gradually learns about the cause of her condition, and, eventually, how she shouldn’t trust anyone—including her husband!
Yes, it’s a juicy material, but one that is handled superficially despite the efforts of Nicole Kidman to keep the mystery element afloat. She’s reactive as well as proactive, and one wishes it’s the latter when the movie reaches its climax. This has the potential to be a classic Hitchcock-ian thriller, or even as good as Kidman’s own The Others or The Interpreter, but unfortunately it has to settle for an “almost satisfying thriller”.
Verdict: See it only if there are no other options in the theatre (or if you're a big fan of Nicole Kidman, like me)
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