PLOT SUMMARY: When Jessie and Mark take in a boy called Cody, they soon discover that he is scared of falling asleep because his nightmares have a way of entering reality.
Before I wake, I must sleep.
When I sleep, I sometimes dream. In my dreams, all my fantasies come true. I am happy and loved.
Then there are times when I see nightmares. When I wake up they are gone, but I still remember them and shudder.
The only way I get on with my day is knowing that like my dreams, my nightmares too will not come true.
But what if they do come true? What if they haunt my reality?
Before I wake is an interesting film. It dares to invade the one thing that gives us comfort- sleep. Having a good sleep I so important to our mind and beneficial to our health. To think that sleep can cause such a catastrophe in our lives is scary.
BEFORE I WAKE Movie Plot
The story is about Cody. He is an orphan, passed on from one home to another until a couple who have recently lost their son, adopt him.
Cody is the epitome of innocence and Jessie and Mark couldn’t be happier.
Their family is finally complete and they can move on with their lives after their son tragically die. What they don’t realize is that Cody is harboring a very dark secret.
The poor boy is afraid of falling asleep and uses stimulants to keep himself up all night because it turns out that his dreams turn into reality. In his mind, if he doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t dream.
It seems like a simple enough solution, until Jessie confronts him after finding his box of energy drinks. She comforts him, assures him that he is safe in his home and can sleep. Cody gives in and sleeps.
The first night, all that the new parents see are glowing butterflies. The next night however, they see their dead son standing right in the middle of their living room!
Cody has a young and impressionable mind, and dreams about whatever he sees during the day. Jessie, grieving for his son, uses this to her advantage and loads Cody’s brain with photos and family videos of her son.
The next night, Jessie gets to hear her son’s voice. Mark is uncomfortable with manipulating Cody, but Jessie is insistent that this is the only way for her to move on.
What they don’t realize is, that every time Cody sleeps, he awakens a monster that haunts him. When threatened, the monster, that Cody calls Canker, consumes even people and takes them away to an unknown place.
Every time Jessie sees her son, Cody becomes apologetic, mystifying the adoptive parents. Then when Cody’s bully suddenly disappears, matters get worse. ‘Canker’is becoming stronger and when Mark is taken away into another realm, Jessie has no choice but to get to the bottom of Cody’s fears.
BEFORE I WAKE Ending Explained with Spoilers
Jessie finds out that Cody’s real mother had cancer that her young son pronounced ‘canker’. The disease slowly consumes her, making her unrecognizable. Being a single mother, she can hardly take care of her gifted son whose dreams turn real.
Young and impressionable, Cody conceives a notion that a monster is taking away his mother and so gives power to his imagination. Thus, Canker is born. Jessie brings herself face to face with the monster when Cody sleeps and hugs the monster, revealing her true form.
Later, when Cody awakes she explains to him about the base of his dreams and assures him that there is nothing to worry about anymore.
This film is an enjoyable watch. More focused on fantasy, the story does provide some scary moments and keeps you at the edge of the seat as you try to unravel the mystery behind Cody’s dreams.
Scare Scale: 3.5/5
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