There are too
many similar themes and scenarios within Before
I Go to Sleep that reminded me of other films for me to avoid comparing it.
The end result feels something like a blend of Memento and Gone Girl,
without the strength of either Christopher Nolan or David Fincher’s direction
to elevate the material. In the end, Before
I Go to Sleep is somehow simultaneously too generic and too unbelievable to
make it a memorable piece of entertainment. No matter the strength of the cast,
the weaker aspects of the film are eventually overpowering.
What also separates this film from
the memory-loss narrative of Memento
or the battle of sexes within Gone Girl
is the lack of balance. In Memento
the protagonist is equal part victim and villain, and there was a balance in
the behavior between men and women in Gone Girl (however slight), but Nicole
Kidman is given an impossible job playing the endless victim that is Christine.
Even when she has moments of strength, they always seem to be attached to a man
in some way. Kidman’s performance comes off a bit stiff, but one can hardly
blame her when the dialogue given her character could easily have been lifted
from any generic thriller.
With a memory condition caused by an
accident from her past, Christine wakes up each morning unable to remember
anything about herself, including the identity of the man she is sleeping next
to. Each morning her husband (Colin Firth) must explain the condition to
Christine, but she begins her own secret mission to uncover the forgotten
memories each day with the help of her psychiatrist (Mark Strong). As she
begins to piece together the accident which led to her condition each day, she
awakes the next morning forced to start from a clean slate again.
Based on the best-selling novel by S.
J. Watson, Before I Go to Sleep is also a film that depends on the elements of
surprise. Despite the lack of impact that these twists had on my viewing
experience, I must refrain from saying much more lest I spoil it for those
unfamiliar with the novel. The Blu-ray extras are two featurettes, including a
character study featurette for Ben (Firth), Christine (Kidman), and Dr. Nasch
(Strong). The package also comes with a digital HD copy of the film.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 4.5/10
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