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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the start of the movie, when 'Uma Thruman''s character is flipping through radio stations, one of the songs you hear is "She's not there" by The Zombies (1964), which was covered under the title "About Her" by Malcolm McLaren. That cover was used in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) which Uma also starred in.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Young Diana: [first lines - smoking in the locker room] That old bitch! I'm serious, if I have to jump over another pummel horse, or whatever they're called.
Maureen: You guys should probably put that out.
Young Diana: Why?
Maureen: Shrankins is like 5 feet behind me.

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Connections

References The Magic School Bus (1994)

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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

An intensely beautiful picture

I had the privilege of seeing this film at its World Premiere this weekend at the Toronto Film Festival. From the very opening sequence, this picture draws you in with its sheer beauty. The cinematography is terrific and at some points even terrifying (in a breath taking way) but what impressed me most was the dialog. Everything seemed so real, which played up every detail to me and made the picture all the more engrossing. Uma Thurman is top notch in this but i believe that Evan Rachel Wood really makes it because honestly, who else could we expect to play the teen angst better than her? The relationship between Eva Amurri's Maureen and Wood's Diana is so realistic in every situation and much of that credit has to go to Emil Stern's adaptation. There are so many themes that run deep throughout this movie, and the ever pressing scare of school shootings makes this hit home really really hard. This is an amazing film that will touch every single emotion and leave you thinking about it for days. Go see this movie whenever you get the chance. It is an intensely beautiful and moving film and most definitely one of the best I have seen so far this year.