The Life Before Her Eyes (2007)

A woman's survivor's guilt from a Columbine-like event twenty years ago causes her present-day idyllic life to fall apart.

Director:

Vadim Perelman

Writers:

Laura Kasischke (novel), Emil Stern (screenplay)

Stars:

Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri Martino

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Uma Thurman	...	Diana (Adult)
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Diana (Teen)
Eva Amurri Martino	...	Maureen (as Eva Amurri)
Gabrielle Brennan	...	Emma
Brett Cullen	...	Paul
Oscar Isaac	...	Marcus
Jack Gilpin	...	Mr. McCleod
Maggie Lacey	...	Amanda (Adult)
John Magaro	...	Michael Patrick
Lynn Cohen	...	Sister Beatrice
Nathalie Paulding	...	Amanda (Teen) (as Nathalie Nicole Paulding)
Molly Price	...	Diana's Mother
Oliver Solomon	...	Detective
Anna Moore	...	Blonde Student (as Anna Renee Moore)
Isabel Keating	...	Maureen's Mother

Storyline

A dramatic thriller about Diana, a suburban wife and mother who begins to question her seemingly perfect life--and perhaps her sanity--on the 15th anniversary of a tragic high school shooting. In flashbacks, Diana is a vibrant high schooler who, with her shy best friend Maureen, plot typical teenage strategies--cutting class,fantasizing about boys--and vow to leave their sleepy suburb at the first opportunity. The older Diana, however, is haunted by the increasingly strained relationship she had with Maureen as day of the school shooting approached. These memories disrupt the idyllic life she's now leading with her professor husband Paul and their young daughter Emma. As older Diana's life begins to unravel and younger Diana gets closer and closer to the fatal day, a deeper mystery slowly unravels.

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Plot Keywords:

best friend | bikini | sex talk | older man younger woman relationship | teacher student relationship | 

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Taglines:

Your life can change in an instant. That instant can last forever.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent and disturbing content, language and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

The names of the 26 victims seen on the memorial and the banner (with the exception of prominent characters such as Maureen and Mr. MacLeod) are the names of members of the production crew who worked on the film.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Maureen: How did you do on that test?
Young Diana: I did ok, I got the one about the heart...
Young Diana: I don't really think that's true though, Maureen - -about it being the strongest muscle...
Young Diana: [crying] I don't think in my case it is at all.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: 88 Minutes/The Life Before Her Eyes/Forgetting Sarah Marshall/The Forbidden Kingdom/Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?/The Visitor (2008)

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Soundtracks

She's Not There
Composed by Rod Argent
Performed by The Zombies
Publisher: Marquis Music Co. Ltd. for the World
Zombies recording licensed from Marquis Enterprises Ltd.

User Reviews

A Compromised Film of Two Parts

The narrative of 'Life Before Her Eyes' switches backwards and forwards between two episodes in the life of Diana McFee. The first is her teenage summer prior to a Colombine-style high school massacre - while the second occurs twenty years later, as her town prepares to remember this tragic event's anniversary. In the high school time-line, Diana (Evan Rachel Wood) hangs out with best friend Maureen (Eva Amurri), alternately discussing future plans and current boyfriends. Their fine performances are captured in radiant dreamlike cinematography which intensifies a sense of foreboding as they approach their fateful encounter with a homicidal armed schoolmate.

In the later sequences, a 30-something Diana (Uma Thurman) is embroiled in another crisis, with her marriage under strain and her daughter exhibiting rebellious tendencies similar to Diana's student behavior. Unfortunately these segments are handicapped by Thurman's lifeless performance. By the end of the film all the loose ends have been neatly resolved, but the climax is ruined by a plot twist which contradicts all the previous character development. Apparently this flawed finale was forced on the producers at Thurman's insistence.

Details

Official Sites:

Magnolia Pictures [United States] Metropolitan Films [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 2008 (Poland)

Also Known As:

In Bloom

Filming Locations:

Darien, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,220, 20 April 2008

Gross USA:

$303,439

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,248,490

Company Credits

Production Co:

2929 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1