jkm0119 This movie has no story and leaves a lot of questions. Why did the man named Mike have and control her for 4 years? He is the one who beat her. It was actually evident from the beginning of the movie who the villain was and after 5 minutes. I had it pegged. This should have been a "B" movie. I have seen better B movies with more mystery than this movie. Don't waste your time on this movie.

Jul Zar Before I go to sleep has been on my watchlist for a few years now. Last week I watched another movie with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman in the leading roles. I really enjoyed their chemistry. Perhaps that's why I think the story-line and their acting adds up to the suspense of a good thriller, mystery and drama movie. I've read some recent reviews and in my opinion this movie is underrated. I haven't read the book so I don't know if the makers intended it to be as grim as it is. I do think that the gloominess of the weather and the characters are of added value to this movie. The character of Christine is confused as soon as she opens up her eyes and sees her world every morning. As much as I would like to forget my life most times, I wouldn't like to wake up and remembering absolutely nothing of the past 20 years. Including the house I'm in and the man sleeping next to me. I can imagine her anxiety very well. Her being played by Nicole Kidman and her having a rather emotionless visage, it was hard for me to read the expressions on her face. I did enjoy the roles and expressions of Colin Firth and Mark Strong. What I most look for in a movie with the genres of Mystery and Thriller are characters that surprise me. Who aren't what they seem to be. And in this flick some characters get another plot turn. 9 Out of 10 for me, because the last 5-10 minutes were too slow. Enjoy the watch, it's a good one!

SimonJack A different twist for a plot and some good acting should have made this a rousing mystery film. Unfortunately, "Before I Go to Sleep" gives a feel from the start that what we are seeing isn't quite real. So, we just wait until and as more and more details take shape and begin to make that clear. That results in a wholly different aspect of watching a mystery. Much of the suspense shifts to simply trying to guess or wait for the suspected misleading appearance to lead to the truth. The screenplay, directing and some technical aspects of the film seem off course. Otherwise, the acting is mostly quite good. Nicole Kidman is very good as Christine, but Colin Firth seems stiff as Ben. The R rating probably comes from some graphic scenes in flashbacks of beating and bloodshed. With a solid rewrite of the script and some better sets and solid direction, this might have been a very good mystery. As is, it's just fair.

Tweekums Christine Lucas is a forty year old woman who wakes each morning with no memories of what happened for the last twenty years. This means she has no idea who the man lying next to her is. He tells her that he is her husband Ben and she has suffered this memory loss ever since she was involved in an accident. Shortly after he leaves for work the phone rings; the caller says that he is Dr Nasch and he is treating her. He tells her to go to her wardrobe and watch her secret video dairy on a camera she has hidden there. The action then jumps back two weeks and we see how Dr Nasch's treatment has progressed… most notably it exposes various lies and omissions in Ben's story. She wasn't in an accident, she was brutally attacked and left for dead and she had a son who he later tells her died of meningitis… perhaps these lies were told to make Christine's life easier or perhaps there were more sinister motives. If that wasn't enough she starts to suspect Dr Nasch. As more and more details are exposed Christine must discover the whole truth before her she loses all her memories again and she is back to square one.This is a solid if somewhat unlikely thriller. Amnesia isn't the most original plot device but it is an effective way of ensuring that the protagonist will have no idea who they can trust as they only know what people tell them and they could be lying… it is even possible that Christine's video dairy might not be reliable as she could be making it based on false information. From the start I was suspicious of both Ben and Dr Nasch; I assumed one of them would ultimately be proved to be bad and the other would be trying to help Christine but which wasn't obvious till nearer the end. Nicole Kidman does a solid job as Christine; she is rarely off screen and nicely captures her character's distress at the situation without being excessively emotional the whole time. She is able supported by Colin Firth who is suitably creepy as he plays against type as the suspicious Ben and Mark Strong who does a fine job as Dr Nasch. For most of the film there is a good sense of mystery and when that is resolved there is a sense of threat as Christine is in real danger. Overall I'd say that this is well worth watching if you enjoy the genre even if it isn't exactly a 'must see' film.