Movie Loner

Twist movies are risky. If they work they can be amazing. The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense utilized twist endings to their benefit and went on to become modern-day classics. When a twist fails it can bring a movie to its knees. A disaster like What Lies Beneath is evidence of when filmmakers attempt to be too clever. A twist has to fit into the context of the story and ultimately be believable, surprising and not absurd. The Life Before Her Eyes is a twist movie that works. Maybe you’ll see it coming, maybe you won’t. Either way it proves to be an intriguing journey.

Diana McFee (Uma Thurman) lives a seemingly ideal life in a quiet, small town. She has a professor husband named Paul and a ten-year-old daughter Emma. It’s the 15th anniversary of a tragic school shooting that claimed the life of Diana’s best friend, Maureen. Diana is struggling with bitter emotions and through a series of flashbacks her life as a teenager and her relationship with Maureen unfolds. Diana and Maureen were complete opposites: Maureen was a good, church-going girl eager to go on a first-date; Diana was a trouble-maker who smoked pot and slept with older guys. Despite their differences, they were attached at the hip and would often talk about how their future lives might turn out.

Diana’s daughter Emma is a mirror-image of her mother. Emma’s rebellious ways cause much despair for Diana and conjure more bad memories from her teen years. Paranoia consumes Diana’s present life while she deals with her terrible past. As her sanity erodes, choppy images of that fateful day 15 years earlier take center stage. The strained friendship between Diana and Maureen during the days prior to the shooting still haunts the elder Diana. Their final moments together are painful to watch, but they are crucial in unlocking the mysteries of Diana’s past, present and future.

Director Vadim Perleman (The House of Sand and Fog) deals heavily in atmosphere. He creates an unsettling, yet fascinating environment. Everything appears straight-forward at first but as the plot evolves an uneasy almost eerie tone takes hold. The aforementioned twist fits, although you may have to re-watch the ending to fully grasp the impact. Uma Thurman is convincing as the older Diana, however, Evan Rachel Wood, who plays the younger Diana, steals the film with her dead-on portrayal of a frightened teen hiding behind a gruff exterior. I’m a big fan of movies that make you use that thing between your ears. The Life Before Her Eyes is a twist movie that definitely requires close attention be paid at every turn.

The trailer for The Life Before Her Eyes:

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