Before any "Before I Go To Sleep" review was ever published online, critics must have had one question in mind, "Will the psychological thriller be forgettable or unforgettable?" Well, to put it concisely, the movie, which was adapted from the bestselling debut novel of S.J.Watson, got mixed reviews. So it is both, depending on whose "Before I Go To Sleep" review you would be focusing on.
Huffington Post Entertainment UK gives a gist of the film.
The plot revolves around Christine (Nicole Kidman). She is a woman whose severe amnesia forced her to live a harrowing existence, where every memory of the day (even those that came before it) is erased by the time she hits the sack. Her disability left her capable of only storing memories for a span of 24 hours. Her doting husband Ben (Colin Firth) dutifully attends to her, as he reminds her every day of who she was and that her illness was the effect of a car crash.
Despite her hubby's painstaking sacrifice, Christine cannot keep herself from suspecting and fearing him. Through the help of the kindly Dr.Nash (Mark Strong), she succeeded in putting back the pieces of her past together. She had been seeing the neuro-scientist for treatment without her hubby's knowledge. She eventually discovered that her nagging negative feelings toward him were not baseless - and with that she uncovered the dark secret linking him to her and the black past they shared that led to her present ordeal.
Huffingtonpost Entertainment UK commented that the trailer was effective. However, the movie did not live up to expectations of the reviewers. They said in their "Before I Go To Sleep" review that they found it too aggressive and inconvenient to watch in certain parts. They thought the movie was a big screen feature of domestic violence whose brutality was uncalled for.
Radio Times, however, noted how excellently the actors delivered their performances, citing that the movie displayed Colin's and Nicole's acting chops at their best. They found the movie sexy and creepy, a psychological thriller that was well executed.
Variety said that the film was riveting enough to keep the audience anticipating the events that follow. However, what keeps their eyes glued on the screen is the movie's growing humorless irrationality.
