Before I Fall

This is surprisingly good. I thought it'd be just another predictable crappy teen movie. But it was actually very well thought out, brilliantly acted and riveting to watch. Definitely recommend. It deserves a higher rating.

This is one of those 'God I miss the forums' moments. I wish I had someone to talk to about this movie, even while putting up with the trolls lol.

THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

This is a variation of the Groundhog Day/Butterfly effect that has been done Ad nauseum in books and movies where our main character relives the same day. As expected, the point of the story is that their actions in that day evolve to the point where the lessons are learned and the day finally ends. This movie is no different. I'm haunted by this movie because of a particular lesson learned, and it's not the main one that finally ends her loop.

Sam is our main character caught in the time loop. She is part of a foursome of girls that are the popular girls and sometimes the mean girls. Their leader is Lindsay (Linds) who is the meanest of all with some deep rooted insecurities. As Sam relives her day she discovers more insight into her own life and the flaws of her and her friends. The two girls that receive the bulk of the mean girl routine become known to her and she realizes she is just following Lindsay like a puppet, not even knowing why they are mean to these girls. On one of her days journey, she lashes out at her friends in anger and disgust, particularly her bestie Lindsay. She sees Lindsay for who she is and she doesn't like it. For most people that would be the end of that. We all have those friends that we turn on when we realize their flaws and decide to remove them from our lives. Let's face it, love is usually conditional. The part of the movie that REALLY got me and I can't stop thinking about is the full circle point where she recognizes the motivation behind Lindsay's 'meanness' and shows her total compassion and love. She embraces this meanest girl of all and instead of rejection and hate she provides her with complete recognition and acceptance. This may seem like no big deal to most, but to me it stuck out like a sore thumb. Usually in movies and books the character like Lindsay end with that character getting his or her comeuppance. Instead this movie preaches love and understanding of all people.This is the part I can't stop thinking about. This is the kind of love and compassion that I would venture to say most of us want to think we posses, but really don't when it's too close to home. I found that very inspiring and it has me thinking of various people I've rejected in my life based on my judgment of them without any compassion.

Any movie that makes me think as much as this one has deserves a 10.

Plot: 6

Themes and Tone: 9

Acting and Characters: 8

Direction: 6

Music and Score: 5

Cinematography: 8

Production Design: 10

Special Effects: 7

Editing: 9

Pacing: 5

Dialogue: 9

Plot: Has been done before. This movie in the context of high school.

Themes and Tone: The move goes for a dark theme and achieves it. On this level the film made an emotional impression on me.

Acting and Characters: Strong stereotypes but the female lead and especially Halston Sage's performances make up for this.

Direction: The movie is a slow start and spends too much time establishing the main characters as a typical mean girl clique. Part of the issue is the story itself (it's repetitive).

Score and Music: I saw this movie with my daughter. I asked if she recognized any of the music in the film. She said no. Not music I would choose to listen to.

Cinematography: This is actually one of the best features of the movie. Nice smooth camera work. Interesting angles and close-ups when needed.

Production Design: Sets and backdrop are very believable and added to the overall theme of the movie.

Special Effects: Aside from one jump scare pretending to be a special effect this aspect of the film is done well.

Editing: Transitions between scenes and other editing is clean and flows.

Pace: A slow start and eventually picks up to a decent pace.

Dialogue: Well done. The film is repetitive due to it's nature. Even so each scene of dialog is needed and adds to the movie.

I was surprised that I liked this movie more than I thought I would. I went because my daughter wanted to see a movie and she chose this one.

I almost passed watching after reading the summery. Sounded like it might be to 'teenage' for me. And honestly, it did have those moments here and there. But it was shot in a way that made me feel like something was underneath. Just waiting to be revealed. And boy was it ever. The ending left me speechless. Well except maybe for the crying noises I was making. If a 56yr old male can find beauty in, and relate to what is probably a teen target audience, then they are doing something right. And now I have new found hope for me, too, that I haven't turned into one of those crotchety old men.

"Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe for you there's 1,000 or 3,000 or 10. So much time you can bathe in it. So much time you can waste it. But for some of us,there's only today. And what you do today matters."

Damn time loops. Bill Murray got stuck in one in "Groundhog Day" and could escape it by surrendering to love. And Tom Cruise had a less pleasant loop in "Edge of tomorrow". He died every time during an alien invasion. Samantha (Zoey Deutch) faces the same problem. A night out with her friends Lindsay (Halston Sage), Ally (Cynthy Wu) and Elodie (Medalion Rahimi) ends in a disastrous way, after which she wakes up on "Cupid's Day" over and over again. "Cupid's Day" is that time of year when youngsters in school give each other roses to show their love.

If these bosom friends would bury themselves with red roses, nobody would really be surprised. Because these narcissistic glamour tarts are living in an egocentric, artificial cocoon, where there's only room for their stuck-up personalities. A life of perfection and complacency in which the other less-favored (both financially and in appearance) are criticized and mocked. These arrogant girls don't even realize that they aren't so popular just because of their looks, but largely thanks to their rich parents. This allows them to distinguish themselves from others materialistically. Driving a car of a somewhat more expensive class. Parading with Louis Vuitton handbags and exclusive clothes.

"Before I fall" fails in two areas. First of all, it's not very original. As I said before, it's a kind of variation on "Groundhog day". Except that the latter also had some comic situations. This film tackles the issue more seriously and has a much more important message on a moral level. And secondly, it's highly predictable. Once you know what's really going on and the facts are slowly revealed, you already know what will happen and what Samantha needs to do to break the cycle. You can even mumble the last sentence simultaneously with Samantha without a problem. As expected, Samantha walks through various emotional stages. From amazement and despair to fear and anger. Ending via a rebellious, fatalistic phase into getting the revelation where she suddenly realizes (although she has experienced that day already a thousands times) how she can solve the problem.

It's kind of weird. I'm not really a fan of chic flicks. But because of the cyclic aspect and the sophisticated analysis of the different personalities, this high school drama was still fascinating. The interpretations also surprised me in a way. You can't say those girls are sympathetic, but gradually their intricate characters are revealed and you start to pity them. Especially Deutch delivered a brilliant performance. She looks like a fragile doll. A kind of "Holly Hobbie"-like Gillian Anderson. A lovely girl with an innocent appearance. You don't see her as an arrogant, hateful and selfish person. The rest of the ladies are cut from the same cloth with their specific deep-rooted emotional issues. I hope they aren't so vicious in reality.

The ultimate life lesson in the end is quite obvious. It may be a bit of an exaggerated arthritis-causing waving with the index finger in a moralistic way, but ultimately it's a truism. Perhaps some individuals in this world should focus more on the important things of life, instead of merely being busy with their own status. However, the "I" culture and social pressure are such that it's almost impossible for young people to see this. Perhaps this film should be added to the school curriculum used nowadays. However, I can imagine that some of those like-minded girls are shocked when they see the denouement. Shocked about Samantha's fate. But most probably they are happily giggling again the next day while bullying the lesser beauties. Oh well. But remember girls: "Karma is a bitch!".

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