A surfeit of truisms comes to mind when describing what is behind the teen-awakening flick, Before I Fall. They include “you really don’t know what you’ve got until its gone”, “make the most of each day” and “make each moment count”. What’s the expression? This is Groundhog Day (the Bill Murray movie) all over again. Indeed!
For many, high school is a period to be quickly gotten through. So imagine having to relive one day over and over, in this case February 12th, which, at the institution Sam (Zoey Deutsch) attends, is known as Cupid Day. Sam seemed to have everything a teenage girl could want: popularity, a hot boyfriend, cool status, fun friends, a loving family and, seeming, happiness. But beyond the superficial, Sam’s life wasn’t so charmed. She was one of a clique of high school mean girls – including Lindsay, the ringleader (Halston Sage) and loyal followers Ally (Cynthia Wu) and Elody (Medalion Rahimi) – who made life hellish for those different from them.
That includes classmates on the fringes, social misfits and anyone not in their elite social set. Their focus is on popularity, boys, clothes, make-up, partying and sex. When she’s killed in a car accident, Sam is forced to relive her last day on earth seven times in order to get things right. She attempts to make sense of what befell her and gain a better understanding of herself and others. In the process, Sam evolves.
As narrated by Sam, this story is based upon the 2010 young adult novel by Lauren Oliver. The screenplay is by Maria Maggenti (The Love Letter), with direction from Ry Russo-Young (Nobody Walks).
The shallow, vacuous nature of the first, drawn-out chapter merely served to drive me batty, notwithstanding the pretty scenery. The cinematography is by Michael Fimognari (Ouija: Origin of Evil). Apart from anything else, bullying and bad behaviour are a part of the repertoire for this tightly knit group of four Year 12 female students who are about to embark on life’s big adventure outside the classroom. It is at that point that I leant over to a fellow reviewer and mouthed the words “I hope it improves from here”. Well, it took a while but it did … although before too much longer we knew where it was heading.
As I have already said, Sam, fortunately, gets the chance to live her final day over and over and over again until she gets it spot on. If only we could go back and correct all the mistakes in life that have caused others discomfort or pain? But, and here I’ll resort to another cliché, that is simply not how the world works.
This is where Before I Fall is a pure fantasy, because the reality is one shot at it and we are history … and others will judge us for what we have done and how we have affected them, not what we intended to do. We are all driven to varying degrees by our personalities, our DNA, but also by the desire to receive positive reinforcement from others. Sometimes that involves dishing out on people who don’t deserve it, those dubbed outcasts or different for whatever reason. Rectifying wrongs, wherever possible, is a noble ideal. Who knows, perhaps a chicks’ flick like this will inspire some? For most though, I hazard a guess, that it will merely serve as wallpaper.
Zoey Deutsch is easy to watch in the lead. She, at least, brings more than a single dimension to her character. It was nice to see Jennifer Beals on screen again (was Flashdance really 34 years ago?) as Sam’s mother. Rated M, Before I Fall has some important things to say, but is pretty obvious in saying them and scores a 6½ out of 10.
Director: Ry Russo-Young
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Jennifer Beals
Release Date: 2 March 2017
Rating: M
Alex First
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
