Before I Wake

Synopsis: In this intense and heart pounding supernatural thriller, Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark (Thomas Jane) decide to take in a sweet and loving 8-year-old boy, Cody. Unbeknownst to them, Cody is terrified of falling asleep. At first, they assume his previous unstable homes caused his aversion to sleep, but soon discover why: Cody's dreams manifest in reality as he sleeps. In one moment they experience the incredible wonder of Cody's imagination, and in the next, the horrific nature of his night terrors. To save their new family, Jessie and Mark embark on a dangerous hunt to uncover the truth behind Cody's nightmares.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Director(s): Mike Flanagan
Production: Relativity Media
 
IMDB:
6.2
Metacritic:
68
Rotten Tomatoes:
61%
PG-13
Year:
2016
97 min
Website
1,397 Views


I'm sorry, Cody.

I've had a case come back

across my desk...

that could be a very good fit.

Cody. He's eight.

His birth mother died

when he was three.

And we placed him with

a couple that...

may turned out weren't fit.

The second couple we placed

him with abandoned him.

- Oh, my God.

- And I went for his annual follow up

I found him living alone

in the apartment.

- Alone?

- For almost a month, we think.

Neighbors called once he started

going door to door.

Look, I like this kid.

We're not supposed to have

opinions like that, but I do.

He's resourceful, he's resilient.

I'm not saying these things

haven't affected him.

- He's guarded, he has sleep issues.

- Of course.

But for all he's been through,

he hasn't let it turn him

into a victim.

Witch is what made me think

of the two of you.

Now that you've been approved,

I think you'll make wonderful

foster parents.

My question for you is...

Are you ready for this?

Okay, living room.

We can leave that one.

Are you sure?

Clean slate, you know.

Just that one.

Whatever it was like for her,

they said it was fast.

And she wasn't aware

of what was happening.

It's not nearly as bad as

I imagined in my head.

And I find confort in that.

It's very good, Jony.

Anyone else?

We have decided to bring a child

into our home tomorrow.

- That's wonderful, Jessie. Congratulations.

- Thank you, Peter.

How have you been feeling

these days?

I still can't sleep at night

very well.

- You still on Ambien?

- Yes.

Insomnia is common.

Somnia is Latin for "Dreams".

Insomnia simply means "No Dreams".

And what else is a child,

but our dreams?

Our hopes, manifest.

We talked about numbness

last week,

where something

a lot of us has felt.

Yeah, I don't know if I'm doing

any better with that.

I think I'm, a little.

but the color hasn't returned

to the world just yet.

How Is Mark with this?

We haven't seen him for awhile.

We always say that people

processes grief differently.

Mark and I have had

different experiences with this.

- The feeling distant from a spouse is...

- Common. Yes.

I just wish I knew

how to fix this.

For him, for us.

And I really wish he would continue

coming to group with me because...

it's the only time I feel...

I don't know...

Awake.

- You ready?

- I think so.

- Hey.

- Let's go say hi.

This is Mr and Mrs Hobsen.

- Hi.

- How are you doing?

Good morning.

Good morning. How are you?

Can I take that box for you?

No? Okay.

Whatever you want to do, pal.

Thank you. I'll take good care of it.

Come on, come on in.

Here we are.

You don't have to do that.

Shoes make floors dirty.

- You have a beautiful home.

- Thank you.

It's all yours, Cody.

Nothing's out limits.

Yeah, come on,

I'll show you my Xbox, or...

or we can get a Wii, I guess.

I'm not sure which one you play.

But you play, though, right?

I think Mark's pretty excited

to have someone to play.

You ever played this connect?

Sports thing?

It's got a censor on it,

so there is no control.

Whatever you do,

the little dude does.

You can swing, you can throw,

you can kick.

And the little guy does it.

I'll show you.

great. It's pretty mean.

It doesn't look like much.

We want you to decorate it

the way you like it

- really?

- That's right.

We're gonna replace those,

I just throw whatever in a basket,

but you can pick out

anything you want.

Cody collects butterflies.

- You do?

- Really?

I love this room.

remember, it's just the first night.

We are all in this together.

You okay?

I like your eyes.

Thank You.

They're really pretty.

Let's get some sleep.

Good night, Mrs Hobsen.

Good night, Cody.

Sleep tight.

Monarch.

Alright.

Here. Alright.

- What's your favorite kind of pizza?

- Pineapple.

Yeah? That's what we're

going to have tonight.

Celebrate your brave day.

Let's go, you ready?

So, let's all say "Welcome, Cody".

Welcome, Cody.

You can take that seat,

right over there.

Alright, let's open those notebooks.

Everyone ready?

The first word is...

Everything's right in there?

I'm fine.

He's fine.

I just wanted to make sure

I can still hear him.

He's fine.

- What's this guy?

- The Blue Morpho.

Sounds like some kind of superhero

or something.

And what is this?

This is like a Cocoon or something?

That's a chrysalis. It keeps them

safe till they grown up.

So, I guess we better

go to bed.

Alright.

- I'll be right there.

- Okay, sweety.

Hey.

So, I was straightening out

for you earlier,

and I accidentally found

some of your stimulants.

Stimulants?

Things that keep you awake.

- I don't like to sleep.

- I know.

But there's nothing for you

to be scared of here.

- Yes, there is.

- What?

The Canker Man.

Who's that?

He comes when I sleep.

He eats people.

Well, that's no good.

He ate my mom.

You know, when I was little girl,

I thought there was a witch

scratching in my window.

But it was just a tree.

The branches had grown

a little too long,

And they hit the window

when the wind blew.

Ones I knew that, the witch

never came back.

Sometimes scary things go away

when we understand them a little.

Not The Canker Man.

Well, you're in new home now.

I'm sure he can't find you.

He's always with me, he says so.

You did what you had to do.

You can't let him have

a sugar stash,

in the middle of his room,

under his bed.

I know, I still feel like

I was trespassing.

No. You're parenting

When you came in, you said

something about a ghost?

There was something.

What did it look like?

Well, it was wearing a black thing

that went all the way to the floor.

Weren't you a little

frightened at the time?

Oh, yes.

- That, Mr. Loren, is hysteria.

- Jess.

Well, then doctor, how do you

explain what happened to Lance?

Was that hysteria too?

You better get that

checked in a day or two.

Thanks, doc.

Where they come from?

Have you ever seen this many?

Do we have any jars?

Butterflies even come out at night?

Maybe there is a big pretty moths.

- What?

- It bit me.

- Butterfly bit you?

- No...

Where are they coming from?

I need a lid.

What the hell?

What the hell just happened?

I saw something last night.

I think it was Sean.

I know we have all had

those dreams,

and felt like we've seen

our kids out in the world.

But this was different.

And I couldn't help but feel

that it was because...

Go ahead.

He knows about Cody.

And he's angry with me.

For replacing him?

Yeah.

We talked about something

ike this at the begining,

when Mark wanted to sell

the house,

- but you refused, because...

- I felt like he was still there.

You said you saw him sometimes.

Yes.

Okay.

The thing you need to understand

about the dreams

you can lose at dreams, it's can feel

very real while we having them.

This wasn't a dream.

- I was awake.

- Doesn't matter.

If we're suppressing negative

emotions like guilt or fear,

especially for sleep deprived

on top of that,

our subconscious will figure out

a way to process those emotions.

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Mike Flanagan

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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