"Dealing with grief, marriage, deception and love, all whilst laying down enough red herrings to keep an entire bird sanctuary content, Before I Go To Sleep is a thrilling treat"

Groundhog Day meets Memento in Rowan Joffe’s (Brighton Rock, 2010) adaption of Before I Go To Sleep, based on S J Watson’s transatlantic hit debut thriller novel. Nicole Kidman plays Christine Lucas a paranoid anterograde amnesiac, whose memory is automatically wiped every time she goes to sleep, due to a vicious attack 10 years earlier which saw her left for dead. Each morning Christine wakes terrified to find a man she doesn’t recognise asleep beside her, Christine’s long suffering husband/ carer Ben (Colin Firth) who has to wearily explain daily who he is, before leaving for work and Christine to her own devices.

Unbeknownst to her spouse Christine is secretly being treated by neuropsychologist Dr Nasch (Mark Strong), who proposes she begins keeping a video diary to hold onto the memories and thoughts that she loses like clockwork every night, in the hope it will help her uncover the identity of her violent attacker. After Ben leaves each morning, Dr Nasch phones Christine and proves his credentials by telling her where to find her video diary, and driving her to numerous dimly light underground car parks.

Firth and Strong both take turns in immaculately depicting the caring protector and suspicious/ unreliable individuals whose motives are unclear, as Christine struggles to figure out the truth behind the assault and who to believe in her uncertain reality. Kidman returns to form (after the horrendous Grace of Monaco catastrophe) with this vulnerable and fragile performance, showcasing why Kidman is a Hollywood heavyweight.

Joffe manages to capture Christine’s unravelling world all within a tight 90 minute time frame, ensuring the overall pace never misses a beat. This British chiller sets the bar high for next month’s release of Gone Girl by David Fincher.

Verdict – Dealing with grief, marriage, deception and love, all whilst laying down enough red herrings to keep an entire bird sanctuary content, Before I Go To Sleep is a thrilling treat.