Before I Go To Sleep

***
UK Release Date: September 5th 2014

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.

Director: Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock)

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong

A lead character who has a serious case of anterograde amnesia is quizzical but alarmingly interesting. Both Memento and 50 First Dates, who have dappled in this before, have caught me off guard. The more I thought about them the more it hurt my head. 

The same doesn't go with Before I Go To Sleep, because the writers have managed to produce a fatal flaw in their script. An accident causes Christine (Kidman) to lose her short-term memory from that point forward. That was four years ago. She's been married for twelve, but doesn't remember her husband, her friends or any other family? 

Christine wakes up every morning having forgotten the previous days events. Her husband Ben (Firth) pieces the missing parts of her memory for her. Unbeknownst to him, Christine has been keeping a video diary courtesy of Dr.Nash (Strong), her therapist. There's no knowing what's going on or what's going to happen. We'll find that out when our lead does.

This tense thriller is supported by an effortless cast, with all looking quite comfortable in their roles. The air is thick with tension, and the characters full of sad tidings, centred around the constantly on edge Kidman, who's Christine has no time for happy thoughts. We can sense her distrust for those around her. We're constantly questioning Ben and Dr. Nash, wondering why each have the motives they do.

There are some great shock and twists, but you can't help feeling like you've seen this all before. The end product doesn't quite get the impact it was hoping for, especially when the progression is so good.