Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Julia Roberts. The film is based on Nancy Price's 1987 novel of the same name. Roberts plays a woman who escapes from her abusive, obsessive husband from Cape Cod to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she captures the attention of a kindly college drama teacher. Laura Burney lives in a beautiful home by the beach on Cape Cod with her husband, Martin , a charmingly handsome and wealthy investment counselor who is also possessive, abusive, and controlling. It becomes clear that he has OCPD , and while she... tries to abide by his needs, she seems to suffer under the strain. Martin believes Laura has been flirting with an attractive neighbor, and he physically assaults her as punishment. The abuse is an ongoing routine, which began immediately after their wedding. To escape Martin, Laura, whom Martin believed to be a non-swimmer, plans and fakes her own death at sea in a storm while the couple are boating. Unbeknownst to Martin, she swims to safety, having recently taken swimming lessons at the YWCA.
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| Release date: | February 8, 1991 |
| Directed by: | Joseph Ruben |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 99 Minutes |
| Producer: | Leonard Goldberg |
| Editor: | George Bowers |
| Music by: | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography: | John Lindley, John Lindley |
| Screenplay by: | Nancy Price, Ronald Bass, Bruce Joel Rubin |
| Estimated budget: | $20,000,000 |
| Genre: | Thriller |