“Before I fall asleep” (reviews are unanimous) - this is the rarest example of a professionally filmed, intriguing, atmospheric and intense thriller. And this despite the fact that the theme of amnesia was covered by cinema an infinite number of times, moreover, in multi-genre films: melodramas, comedies, horror films and several dramatic author films with deep overtones. That is exactly what the detective thriller directed by Rowan Joffe, "Before I Fall Asleep," is. You can find reviews, ratings and the names of the main characters by reading this article.
Plot
The film Before I Fall Asleep, the reviews of which are diametrically opposed - from extremely negative to enthusiastic - tells the story of a vulnerable woman with amnesia. The film is an adapted film adaptation of the world famous bestseller "Before I Go To Sleep" - SJ Watson ("Before I Fall Asleep") by S. D. Watson. After a car accident, the main character Kristin begins to suffer from a rare form of mental disorder with a fanciful name - psychogenic amnesia. The disease played a terrible joke with a forty-year-old woman, now the heroine only remembers the events of the day, but when she wakes up in the morning, she forgets even herself (her appearance), 14 years of a happy family life with her husband Ben. In order to understand the nature of her illness and restore long-term memory secretly from her husband, the heroine begins to attend sessions of Dr. Nash, a neuropsychologist at the University of London. The film "Before I Fall Asleep", reviews, plot - the whole atmosphere of the picture and the hype around it intrigues and prompts the viewer to mandatory viewing.
Genre Policy
Perhaps, by a short description of the plot, it can be mistakenly decided that this picture, albeit a literate, but the most standard, classic thriller about amnesia with canonical methods for the genre of tension and intimidation for the genre, and the saying “Before I fall asleep. Reviews of the 2014 film refute these assumptions, indicating that the story is trying to abstract from the "laws" of the genre, to delve into the personal experiences of the main character, thus turning the picture into a burning psychological drama. The brilliant find of the director in this regard should be considered the fact that the heroine faithfully leads a video diary, and the viewer sees her tormenting both on camera and in ordinary life. The successful symbiosis of the thriller, drama and detective story is the key to the success of the film Before I Fall Asleep. Reviews-2014 were written in a negative way only by professional playwrights and critics, but the audience liked the picture more than anything, mainly unpredictable plot twists, especially the cardinal transformation of Colin Firth’s character on the screen.
Actors and roles
The film “Before I Fall Asleep” (reviews of the film, as already said, are extremely contradictory) boasts excellent casting: Nicole Kidman, Mark Strong and Colin Firth - a wonderful trio of really strong and talented actors.
Nicole has always been incomparable in the image of heroines on the verge of an uneven breakdown or breakdown tension, which was inspiredly shown in the film "Others" (2001). The actress coped with the role of Christina brilliantly, her main trump card is naturalness. Thanks to the skillful work of the operator, many successful close-ups, the viewer has the opportunity to repeatedly see the professionalism of the actress. Marc Strong is also wonderful, who in this picture changed his usual role and did not play the villain. His character is convincing, the image is bright and multifaceted, masterfully beaten by the actor. However, the real discovery of the film “Before I Fall Asleep” (reviews by film gourmets especially highlight this fact), is the acting work of Colin Firth. The actor finally managed to get rid of the notorious image of Darcy from the well-known "Bridget Jones Diary" and similar characters in romantic melodramas. In the image of the spouse of the main character, he looks so natural and even infernal that his character is frightening and alarming.
Story chip
The thriller “Before I Fall Asleep” - reviews of the film is proof of this - suffers from an ailment common among many paintings of this genre: it has only one plot chip. And this unbearably complicates the accumulation of narrative, the escalation of suspense and the maintenance of a single, inextricable level of canvas throughout the duration of the picture. There is only one secret in the plot narration of the tape, and no matter how the director tries to present a personal investigation of Kidman's character with a series of frightening and alarming discoveries, each subsequent episode does not cause any special emotional outbursts. This is certainly not “Remember” with a slightly “turned”, but addictive and intriguing step sequence. In the film Before I Fall Asleep, everything is much simpler - a new day, a chaotic morning, a call from Nash with a reminder of the video camera, rare and obscure flashbacks of memories, awkward questions from her husband. But true connoisseurs of psychological cinema will appreciate the "simplicity" at its true worth.
High quality
Before the release of the film “Before I Fall Asleep”, reviews of 2014 about which are very ambiguous, the topic of amnesia was raised in the following films: “Deja Vu” (1989), “Who Am I?” (2010), Mulholland Drive (2001), Memento (2000) at the domestic box office - Remember. These films were appreciated by film critics and a wide audience and unanimously recognized as the best. Whether the thriller Rowan Joffe will become the same cult - is not yet known. The impression of the picture is somewhat spoiled by the banal and melodramatic finale.
Why does the thriller have a happy ending?
In terms of culmination, the thriller “Before I Fall Asleep” (reviews of the film indicate this miscarriage of the creators) noticeably loses to its own kind. Instead of catharsis in the final, the viewer experiences either disappointment or tenderness - but these are not the feelings that fans of the genre are counting on. It is unclear why the author sacrificed the integrity of the plot narrative to please the masses who love happy endings! After breaking the drama, the creators not only disappointed fans of thriller films, but also exposed the actors in an unsightly light, whose participation, as a rule, guarantees the verified quality of the film.
Manipulating memory is a serious matter
Cinematic manipulations with memory and consciousness are a rather delicate matter, it is easy for the viewer to get lost in them. “Games” with consciousness, subconsciousness require a special atmosphere, mood, immersion in emotions, thoughts, problems of heroes. If any component is missing, the thriller movie “won't work.” It is hoped that the Joffe tape will remain in the memory of not only film critics, but also a wide audience, since there are all the prerequisites for this.