Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 American psychological thriller directed by Joseph Ruben, starring Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, and Kevin Anderson. Based on Nancy Price’s 1987 novel, the film follows a woman who fakes her own death to escape her controlling and abusive husband. Relocating from Cape Cod to Cedar Falls, Iowa, she begins a new life only to have her peace shattered when her past catches up with her and her husband tracks her down.

Laura Burney appears to have a perfect life. She’s married to Martin, a successful investment counselor in Boston, and they live in a beautiful home by the sea in Cape Cod. But behind Martin’s handsome and charming appearance is a dark reality he is obsessive, controlling, and has been physically, emotionally, and sexually abusing Laura during their nearly four-year marriage. After each violent episode, he follows a familiar pattern, apologizing and trying to win her back with flowers and gifts.

Martin agrees to go sailing with their neighbor, a doctor, even though he knows Laura is afraid of water and doesn’t know how to swim. During the trip, a sudden storm hits, and as Martin and the doctor try to manage the boat, Laura falls overboard. The Coast Guard searches for her, but her body is never found. She is presumed to have drowned, and Martin is left heartbroken.

It is revealed that Laura is actually alive. In secret, she had learned to swim and carefully planned her escape from Martin’s abuse by faking her own death. During the storm, she deliberately jumped overboard, swam to shore, and returned home unnoticed. There, she cut her hair, put on a wig, flushed her wedding ring down the toilet, gathered her hidden belongings and money, and left for a nearby bus station to start a new life.

Laura moves to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to begin a new life. She had told Martin that her mother, Chloe—who is blind and had a stroke—had died, but in reality, Laura secretly moved her to a nursing home in Iowa. Using the name “Sara Waters,” Laura rents a house, gets a job, and tries to move on. Her neighbor, Ben Woodward (played by Kevin Anderson), a drama teacher at a local college, is friendly and interested in her, though he senses she’s hiding something. They go on a pleasant date, but when things become more physical, Laura pulls away and asks Ben to leave. Later, she confesses that she ran away from an abusive marriage.

Martin discovers that Laura had secretly taken swimming lessons, making him suspect she might still be alive. His fears are confirmed when he finds her wedding ring in the toilet—unflushed and hidden. Posing as a detective, he visits her mother’s nursing home and learns that a “nephew” recently visited—actually Laura in disguise. Narrowly missing her, he soon tracks down her new home and watches her with Ben. He breaks into her house while they’re out and leaves subtle signs of his presence: perfectly arranged towels and neatly lined kitchen items—just like before. When Laura returns, she instantly senses he’s been there.

Martin suddenly confronts Laura, just as Ben breaks down the door to help her. Martin knocks Ben unconscious and pulls a gun on him. Acting fast, Laura hits Martin in the groin, grabs the gun, and points it at him. As she calls the police, Martin expects her to plead like before—but this time, she calmly says she has just shot an intruder. Then she fires three shots into his chest. Wounded, Martin makes a final attempt to attack her, but the gun is empty. He dies from his injuries, and Laura and Ben hold each other as they wait for the police.

Joseph Ruben, known for directing suspense and thriller films. His direction emphasizes fear and unease, particularly through the portrayal of Laura’s abusive marriage and her constant fear of being discovered.

Ruben carefully crafts a sense of claustrophobia in the early scenes, using rigid visuals and quiet, controlled spaces to reflect Laura’s life under Martin’s dominance. As the story progresses, he maintains suspense by allowing small, almost unnoticed clues like perfectly arranged towels or neatly stacked cans to signal Martin’s looming presence. This subtle buildup of dread keeps the viewer on edge, even during Laura’s moments of apparent safety.

By focusing on mood, silence, and the threat of sudden violence, Ruben turns everyday domestic spaces into sources of tension, effectively highlighting the psychological horror of being controlled and hunted. While the film eventually leans into thriller conventions, Ruben’s direction ensures the emotional stakes remain grounded in Laura’s experience of trauma and survival.

Ronald Bass adapted Sleeping with the Enemy from Nancy Price’s novel, shaping the screenplay to emphasize Laura’s emotional journey from a life of fear and control to one of courage and freedom. While retaining the suspenseful core of the story, Bass focused on Laura’s inner transformation, making her escape and growing strength the heart of the narrative.

An Academy Award-winning screenwriter best known for Rain Man, Bass is known for crafting emotionally driven stories with complex characters. In Sleeping with the Enemy, he balances psychological tension with character development, ensuring that the thriller elements are grounded in Laura’s personal struggle to reclaim her life and identity.

Julia Roberts plays Laura Burney, a woman trapped in a violently abusive marriage who fakes her own death to escape her controlling husband and start a new life. Laura appears at first to be the perfect, obedient wife to Martin Burney, a wealthy and outwardly charming man. But beneath the surface lies a life of terror Martin is obsessively controlling, emotionally manipulative, and physically abusive. Julia Roberts portrays Laura with a delicate balance of fear, quiet strength, and eventual determination.

Laura stages a drowning during a boat trip, changes her identity, and moves to a small town in Iowa where she begins to rebuild her life under the name Sara Waters. She forms a tentative relationship with a kind drama teacher named Ben, signaling her emotional recovery.

Patrick Bergin plays Martin is one of those men who views his wife as both possession and servant. In public, she’s a polished ornament attractive, poised, and there to reflect his success. But behind closed doors, he exerts control with chilling precision. He lashes out if the towels aren’t perfectly aligned in the bathroom, or if the canned goods on the shelves aren’t arranged with military order. Laura is granted no autonomy, no space for imperfection, and no will of her own.

When Martin discovers she’s alive, he tracks her down. The climax of the film showcases Laura’s transformation from victim to survivor. In a dramatic and symbolic reversal of power, she defends herself with a gun and ultimately kills Martin in self-defense. Her performance helped the film become a commercial success and solidified her standing as a versatile actress capable of handling intense, suspenseful narratives.

John Lindley’s cinematography in Sleeping with the Enemy enhances the film’s psychological tension through stark contrasts the cold, sterile perfection of the Burney household versus the warm, natural light of Laura’s new life. His visual framing subtly mirrors Laura’s emotional journey, using space and shadows to evoke claustrophobia, dread, and eventual liberation.

George Bowers’ editing maintains a taut, suspenseful pace throughout the film. The tight cuts during scenes of abuse and pursuit heighten the psychological intensity, while quieter sequences are allowed room to breathe, reflecting Laura’s transition from fear to freedom. Bowers’ work supports both the thriller structure and the emotional undercurrents of the story.

The film’s original music was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. Columbia Records released a soundtrack album at the same time as the film, which included over 38 minutes of Goldsmith’s score, along with the Van Morrison song “Brown Eyed Girl.”

Released on February 8, 1991, Sleeping with the Enemy received mostly negative reviews from critics. However, it proved to be a major box-office success, earning $175 million worldwide against a $19 million budget.

Jerry Goldsmith’s score won the BMI Film Music Award in 1992. The film was also nominated for four Saturn Awards by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films that same year: Best Actress (Julia Roberts), Best Supporting Actor (Patrick Bergin), Best Horror Film, and Best Music (Jerry Goldsmith).

Photos courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.