The two share a lot more screen time in Before I Go To Sleep, writer/director Rowan Joffe’s adaptation of the apparently strong book by S J Watson. In fact, they’re in each other’s arms as the movie opens, although we quickly learn that all is not well. Kidman’s character, Christine Lucas, is suffering from memory loss after an unexplained incident. Each day, Firth’s Ben Lucas needs to remind her of where she is, who he is, and her recent history. Then, when she goes to sleep and wakes up again the following day, he has to do it all again. Gradually, Before I Go To Sleep pulls back a little, introducing a few more charatcers, although generally it keeps its focus on just a small handful. Mark Strong’s Dr Nasch throws the spanner in the works, as he begins to help Christine rebuild her memories. It’s clear that there’s more going on here than it first appears. The story ultimately hinges on a couple of key moments, which I’m reliably informed work exceptionally well in the book. One of them works exceptionally well in the film too, although there’s a double edge to it. So well done is one particular moment, that it can but only highlight how drab pretty much everything else is. It’s an ordinary telling of a story we’re getting here, and it’s two casting decisions away from straight to DVD purgatory. The running time of Before I Go To Sleep is brief, clocking in at an hour and a half. But it does feel a good deal more. For the price of an admission ticket, you could probably get both Christopher Nolan’s Memento on DVD, and a copy of the book this film is based on. Stick some pictures of Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman on your wall to complete the effect, and you’ll be getting a better return for your investment. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
