Before I Wake (2016)

Watched on Netflix 01/07/18  ( I rated this 3 out of 5)

This movie seems to have the film version of multiple personality disorder.  Perhaps there was an issue among its creators concerning the final product. Would it be a thriller, a fantasy, a horror movie, or a Lifetime or Hallmark Channel movie of the week? Certain ideas were intriguing, less so on their execution. Two standouts, in spite of the lackluster dialogue were Kate Bosworth as Jessie and Jacob Tremblay as Cody.  Thomas Jane  (as Mark, Jessie’s husband) was adequate, but miscast. He looked, sounded and mostly acted more like Kate's father than her husband. Thomas Jane’s hair (bad wig?) was visually distracting, but probably meant to make him appear younger. Kate Bosworth is 35 and looks 25. Thomas Jane is 48 and looks 58.  In the beginning of this film as they are in a social worker’s office to apply for a foster son, they are described as a "young couple”. 

Certain scenes dragged. There were 2 group therapy scenes that were both painful in their length and the trite dialogue. There were some interesting scenes in the movie's third act as Jessie (Kate Bosworth) pieces together mystery regarding her foster son with several coincidences (her job security clearance, a ridiculously easy theft of a highly classified folder)

While movie is about loss and literally making it through the day (and night) alive, due to many wild tangents that message is mostly buried.  The fantasy (CGI) elements were also a mixed bag, some beautiful, some very ordinary.  The last 10 minutes of the film did have clever technique of providing exposition to the viewer in the form of a "fairy tale" with flashbacks (and flash-forwards?) told by Jessie to Cody. This exposition both explained Cody’s backstory (which was not a surprise) and left an open-ended conclusion that seemed more in tune with the ultimate fantasy of people who grieve.  This movie is not a waste of time, but is not going to stay in active memory for too long.