Sleeping with the Enemy

Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 psychological thriller film, directed by Joseph Ruben. It was based on a 1987 novel of the same name by Nancy Price. The protagonist was Julia Roberts, who escapes from her abusive, obsessive husband, played by Patrick Bergin. She captures the attention of a kindly gentleman, played by Kevin Anderson.

The score by Jerry Goldsmith won the BMI Film Music Award, 1992, and the film was nominated for the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award for 1992 in four categories: Best Actress (Roberts), Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bergin), Best Horror Film and Best Music (Goldsmith).

Julia Roberts plays Laura Burney, a woman who seemingly has it all: a beautiful home, a wealthy and handsome husband, and anything she may desire.

But her idyllic life is not what it seems, as it is revealed that her perfect husband Martin is also a controlling and abusive man who slaps and kicks her merely for looking at another man out the window. And it's soon established this isn't the first time he's done something like that...

Then, when the Burneys are out on the sea, a storm comes up, and Laura makes a plan to fake her death and finally escape her situation.


 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Martin is almost consistently dressed in black or other dark colors throughout the film, particularly in the scenes where he has tracked Laura down and is stalking her. Because obviously the audience would otherwise never know that he's a bad guy. Conversely, except for a party dress, Laura is mostly clad in whites and pastels.
 * Crazy Jealous Guy: Martin.
 * Does Not Like Shoes: Subverted, as Laura usually goes barefoot only at home.
 * Domestic Abuser: Martin.
 * Fridge Horror: What the hell happens to Laura's mother ? The film never answers that question. (This could also go under "Plot Holes" below.)
 * False Soulmate: Martin to Laura.
 * Friends Rent Control: Laura is able to rent, fix up, and maintain a huge, beautiful home, plus pay for all her daily living expenses despite only having a part-time job at a library before her escape, and initially not working at all when she does get away. And when she does start working, she's still in a job that doesn't pay much.
 * Important Haircut: Laura cuts her hair as part of her transformation from battered, submissive wife to free woman.
 * Love Makes You Crazy: Martin.
 * Nice Guy: Ben.
 * Oh Crap: The look on Martin's face
 * Plot Holes: Laura's entire escape plan from Martin is full of them.
 * All convenient, but not necessarily plot holes.
 * Taking You with Me: Attempted, but averted.
 * There Is No Kill Like Overkill:
 * Revealing Hug: Laura acts aroused as her husband makes advances to her, but we soon see her upset face over his shoulder throughout the entire sex scene. Is this case, however, the viewer already knows that she's faking it.
 * Revealing Hug: Laura acts aroused as her husband makes advances to her, but we soon see her upset face over his shoulder throughout the entire sex scene. Is this case, however, the viewer already knows that she's faking it.