Before I Go to Sleep

Before I Go to Sleep is a 2014 mystery psychological thriller film written and directed by Rowan Joffé and based on the 2011 novel of the same name by S. J. Watson. An international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Sweden, the film stars Nicole Kidman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, and Anne-Marie Duff. Plot Christine Lucas wakes up next to a man she does not know. The man explains that he is her husband, Ben, and that she suffered severe brain damage from a car accident ten years earlier, resulting in her having no memory of her life from her early twenties onwards. Christine receives treatment from Mike Nasch, a neuropsychologist, who gives her a camera to record her thoughts and progress each day. He also calls her every morning to remind her to watch the video in the camera, but instructs her to keep the camera hidden from Ben. Nasch reveals that her memory loss occurred after she was attacked and left for dead near an airport hotel; they both surmise that Ben tells Christine it was due to a car accident to avoid upsetting her. Over the course of her treatment, Christine faintly remembers a red-haired woman named Claire. Ben tells her that Claire was a friend who couldn't handle Christine's condition and ended contact with her. Later, Christine recalls that she has a son, Adam. She angrily confronts Ben over hiding their child, but he says Adam died of meningitis when he was eight. Christine also remembers the name Mike and believes it may be the name of her attacker, which she tells Nasch during an appointment. He hugs her to comfort her and almost kisses her, but she pulls back and then notices on his name badge that his first name is Mike. Christine flees. Nasch later tells Christine he is not able to treat her anymore because he has developed feelings for her.