Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A woman wakes up every day, remembering nothing as a result of a traumatic accident in her past. One day, new terrifying truths emerge that force her to question everyone around her.
Before I Go to Sleep is a competent but unremarkable psychological thriller. The amnesia premise is well-worn territory (50 First Dates, Memento, and others have explored similar ground), and the film executes it in a fairly by-the-numbers fashion. Nicole Kidman delivers a credible performance in a demanding role, and the supporting cast (Mark Strong, Colin Firth) is solid, elevating the material somewhat. Cinematography is functional and appropriately cold and unsettling but rarely distinctive. The plot relies heavily on thriller conventions and telegraphs its reveals too early for attentive viewers, and the ending, while tying loose ends, feels rushed and somewhat anticlimactic rather than genuinely shocking or satisfying. The film is watchable but fails to carve out a truly unique identity in the crowded amnesia-thriller subgenre.