{"id":3959,"date":"2017-12-06T17:42:29","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T07:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=3959"},"modified":"2017-12-07T18:23:02","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T08:23:02","slug":"fall-home-entertainment-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/fall-home-entertainment-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Before I Fall – home entertainment review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Damn time loops. Bill Murray got stuck in one in Groundhog Day<\/em> and could escape it by surrendering to love. And Tom Cruise had a less pleasant loop in Edge of Tomorrow<\/em>. He died every time during an alien invasion. Samantha (Zoey Deutch) faces the same problem in Before I Fall<\/em>. 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 \u201cCupid\u2019s Day\u201d over and over again. \u201cCupid\u2019s Day\u201d is that time of year when youngsters in school give each other roses to show their love.<\/p>\n

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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\u2019s 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\u2019t even realize that they aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Before I Fall<\/em> fails in two areas. First of all, it\u2019s not very original. As I said before, it\u2019s a kind of variation on Groundhog Day<\/em>. 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\u2019s highly predictable. Once you know what\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of weird. I\u2019m not really a fan of chick 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\u2019t 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 \u201cHolly Hobbie\u201d-like Gillian Anderson. A lovely girl with an innocent appearance. You don\u2019t 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\u2019t so vicious in reality.<\/p>\n