A Vida em Si

Once every 10 years or so a movie like this comes along and reaches into your chest and rips your heart out. It shows it to you - bloody and still beating. It is brutal, relentless, and beautiful, and it is a work of art.

There is so much going on, I honestly don't have to words. Breaking down the narrative would be a crime.

I can only say that it's almost gothic in form. Though sentimental, it's never naive.

I loved every minute of this movie.

...it's a surprising film. I went into it thinking it would be a fun ride. It sort of started out that way but WHOA. It's NOT. The trailer made it seem it was going to be sunshine and daisies, which is what I was needing. There may be sunshine and daisies within the film but it was more like vinegar and caskets. Not what I needed this particular day.

That doesn't mean the movie isn't excellent. It's really a great story (stories?) You just have to be one of those people or in one of those moods where you find beauty and all the good things in absolute devastating tragedies. I can be that way...today wasn't one of those days for me.

I typically watch Olivia Wilde because she resembles my murdered daughter. August is a very difficult month for me, and this movie just pushed me further into my depression. I do not regret watching the movie, but I wish I had watched it while I was not already in an abyss.

Great cast, VERY unique style and blend, insanely surprising (good and definitely bad), it's really very good.

Just go into it when you aren't feeling suicidal or depressed, you may enjoy it more.

At the time when I watched this, the rating was 6.6. I hope it gets higher after people discover more of Dan Fogelman thanks to This Is Us, because this rating is just not fair.

I do not agree with the reviews that say this movie is "This Is Us in 2 hours." Though I do love the show, this movie is something else in itself, and it deserves to be recognized for it.

What it tackles is 'life itself' with all its ups and downs, and believe me, I'm no mushy romance lover. It's far from being sappy, it's so on point, subtle and down-to-earth that I have difficulty defining it as just another romantic movie or a typical drama. There were parts that I literally cried out in awe, covered my eyes in fear, or sat on the edge of my seat like it's one of those almost-frustrating thriller movies that slap you in the face at every turn. Of course it has its bittersweet moments, but I think this movie deserves a chance--and a higher rating--even from the harshest critics and cynics.

Interesting how much "professional" critics, users reviews, and IMDB score vary. That itself tells you there's something special about this movie. I thought it was excellent. It takes you on a fast & violent emotion roller-coaster, and yes, statistically some of the plot is unlikely, but the emotions rung true to me, and I don't care about statistical anomalies if they serve the story. Quite a few reviews compare this to a French movie, though I'm unsure what that means. I'm French, and I'm surely biased, but at least it's not soup: it's drama. The movie clearly offended a lot of people, which is ironic, because that's the point the movie's making: life is fierce, and it's beautiful.

I was hesitant to invest the time in this film after reading critic reviews but I can absolutely say they were truly too harsh with Life Itself. No surprise but it's very reminiscent of 'This Is Us' and instead of an episodic narrative it's condensed to a two hour multi-chaptered film. While it did feel closer to three hours at points, there's a clear disconnect between the current reviews and the actual film performance. It was very emotional and most of the movie I had a lump in my throat. The way it's structured it's almost like three movies in one but the way it all comes together was so fascinating to watch as an audience member. My vote is you give it a shot, it's a really creative story.