Before I Wake

A rare disappointment from Mike Flanagan, Before I Wake follows Mark (Thomas Jane) and Jessie (Kate Bosworth) as they agree to take in an orphaned child (Jacob Tremblay’s Cody) after suffering a personal tragedy – with the movie detailing the violence that eventually ensues as it becomes clear that Cody isn’t just a normal little kid. There’s ultimately little doubt that Before I Wake fares best in its deliberate yet compelling first half, as Flanagan does an effective job of establishing the seemingly simple narrative and three central characters – with the ongoing inclusion of creepy images certainly perpetuating and heightening the movie’s promising atmosphere. It’s clear, however, that the movie’s often excessively slow execution prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly embracing the narrative, with the progressively hands-off vibe compounded by a somewhat uneventful midsection that, perhaps inevitably, spends far too much time focused on Jessie’s investigation into Cody’s past. The film’s eventual shift into full-on fantasy territory, as a result, falls disappointingly flat, and although the climactic revelations force one to view everything preceding them in a whole new light, Before I Wake has, unfortunately, long-since confirmed its place as an ambitious endeavor that never quite manages to cohesively come together.

** out of ****