Why would you want to sleep if you fear your own dreams?
Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark (Thomas Jane) decided to adopt a foster child while struggling to come to terms with the death of their son, Sean. Unable to have another child, they accepted 8 year old boy Cody (Jacob Tremblay) into their home.
Cody is a sweet and bright kid who tries to avoid falling sleep since his dreams manifest in real life - good dreams and night terrors - affecting the people around him.
I don't consider Before I Wake as a horror movie but a psychological thriller instead. It is an impressive movie but is not that scary. It has its moments but falls apart towards the end. It made the movie a mediocre one. It would've been much more powerful if the Director Mike Flanagan was able to minimize some loose ends.
But what I like about this movie is its story. It's refreshing with a mix of melodrama, fantasy and thriller. Despite the fact that the scare factor is a disappointment, the story itself is heartbreaking. Jacob Tremblay is such a great child actor who was able to slay his role! And though Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane both lack emotions, they both acted well and played their parts the way they should be,
What's interesting about this movie is how it tried to have solid scenes to build up the twist in the story. How the 'Canker Man' is actually Cody's birth mother who died of cancer when he was still younger and how it became his nightmare.
Unfortunately the ending of the film was not palpable. After showing the audience the reality of Cody's dreams, it dwindled. It will leave you asking for more, asking for a proper closure for the story. It takes off beautifully but the ending doesn't dish out satisfaction.
