5.5/10

The world of sleep is the most dangerous consequence in this adaptation of the best selling novel by S.J Watson, and directed by Roman Jaffe. “Before i Go To Sleep” is the story of a woman (Nicole Kidman) who wakes up every day with no memory as the result of a traumatic accident in her past. One day, terrifying new truths begin to emerge that make her question everything she thinks she knows about her life as well as everyone in it, including her doctor (Mark Strong) and even her husband (Colin Firth). This film suffered a lot for me from plot conveniences as well as many plot holes in the memory loss of Kidman. The film is incredibly well acted, and even offers some new sides of actors that we aren’t accustomed to in that role. The film’s run time of 87 minutes is a smooth scene to scene transition that never drags, and that with the psychological thriller of a tone makes this film at least entertaining if nothing else. There are two MAJOR plot twists that happen within the final twenty minutes of the film. The first one, i can safely say i saw coming, but i was all for it just to see the kind of on screen magic that would materialize as a result of it. The second bombshell is the one that will really leave the audience stunned and give “Sleep” the kind of pulse it needs before it drifts off into comatose. I mentioned before about the great acting. This is a result of the great on screen chemistry between Kidman and Firth. They stared in an earlier 2014 film called “The Railway Man”, and while this film isn’t nearly as memorable as that one was, it does show two powerful actors in the prime of their careers bouncing off the other incredibly. They take this sloppy plot and take it to places that the film probably wouldn’t go with 90% of other Hollywood actors/actresses. In Firth, you feel a man at his wits end with having to explain everything day after day to his memory challenged wife. It’s so believably portrayed, that you learn to love and hate Colin while he is playing one of his most perplexing roles to date. The plot holes do a huge number on this film. One scenario in particular is how Kidman can remember her best friend from two decades ago, but can’t remember other key members of her life. I won’t reveal much more beyond that for spoiler territory, but it’s just implausable that Jaffe picks key moments for his actress to remember that will tie everything together. I also could’ve done without the several cheap jump scares that the movie displays. It almost ventures into territory of feeling like a horror movie because of the unnecessary blood complete with violent imagery. I understand that it was part of the story, but when mixed with the mood of the rest of the film, it feels like we are getting two films for the price of one, and sadly that isn’t a good thing in this scenario. “Sleep” felt a lot like a combination between “50 First Dates” and “Memento”. The former always leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth because the ending scares the hell out of me. This film is a lot like that terror in the back of my mind after every showing of “50 First Dates”. This woman is at the mercy of her memories, and that will no doubt intrigue anyone enough to check this film out. I recommend waiting till DVD if you are interested in it. If you spend ten bucks on this film, you will go to sleep hoping you develop a condition like Kidman’s.