Before I Go To Sleep (2014, Dir. Rowan Joffe, USA/France/UK/Sweden) (Cert: 15/R) *** Starring: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong In an interesting companion piece to The Railway Man last year, Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth are back together in this film about a 40-year-old woman who wakes up every day not remembering life after mid-20s because of a violent head injury and with the help of no-one that she can outright trust, piece together who took her memories. Its an adaptation of a well-known novel by S.J Watson, but those whose interest flows more towards cinema may find comparison with Christopher Nolans breakthrough film, Memento. Before I Go To Sleep is a less experimental film than Memento and is relatively straight-forward. Mementos a good film and the higher level of accessibility in Before I Go To Sleep may make the more snobbish of people turn their noses to this film, but actually its subscription to tradition and familiarity help the film rather than hurt it. Time may tell if it will reward repeated viewings, but the story is crafted well enough to be understandable whilst still intriguing, engaging and surprising. Whilst I find it hard to think of a time where Ive been very impressed by Nicole Kidman, I think her talent is displayed here in a very difficult role to play. To play someone who has to wake up every day to a whole new life she didnt know she had and a new life born of such horrible circumstances is a tall order and Kidman certainly gives it her all. Colin Firth and Mark Strong also have their shining moments in supporting roles, both of which are hinted towards sinister motives. Firth gets the greater screen time and does very well, but his history of often playing kindly figures does make him slightly less believable in a more threatening light which is more believable from the tall and physically-imposing Strong. Stylishly presented, sometimes to the point of sterility, Before I Go To Sleep is a well-constructed mystery thriller with some pretty fascinating twists that will have many people hooked.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 15:17:00 +0000
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