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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.

Greetings again from the darkness. Most rated director Vadim Perelman's "House of Sand and Fog" higher than I, but I believe this is a much better and far more interesting film than his earlier effort. Based on the novel by Laura Kasischke, this is a bit of an eerie mind-bender that maintains an intoxicating look and feel.

Evan Rachel Wood adds to her amazing list of strong performances with pure teen angst, but this time there is an additional depth not seen before. Uma Thurman plays the 15 year senior version of Ms. Woods character and delivers one of her best yet. Also of note is Eva Amurri as Wood's friend Maureen who plays a key role at decision time. Ms. Amurri is also Susan Sarandon's real life daughter.

Can't give away much of this one, but I will say it is a joy to watch scene construction and the back and forth between present and past (or is it present and future) make for a multi-layered film that is engrossing in its delivery. Plus, the Zombies song makes a few appearances ... very cool.

I've never posted a review or even so much as commented on a film here, or anywhere else BUT after just viewing this movie I wanted to see other opinions.

This was the first site I stumbled upon. Im not even going to comment on the the life before her eyes, instead I'd like to question some of the negative reviews left.

To slate a movie and then say that the you "skipped" scenes and obviously didn't pick up on MAJOR plot points explained throughout the movie many times is sad to be honest. Many of the negative reviews are complete drivel and only serve to show the stupidity or idiocy of the reviewer.

Other negative reviews are coherent and we'll written and even though I enjoyed the movie I can understand some of the annoyances. I doubt I'll ever take the time to post here again :D (Im the lazy sort) but I would recommend this movie to anyone as its one of the better movies I've seen in a long time :) BUT I would warn that its slow moving and tries to be a little too emotional for its own good.

that is all

Never mind the fact that the cast was brilliant, the filming was beautiful and the transitions were flawless. The story itself was so well written. It has been quite a while since I have seen a film that has left such an impact. The cast did such a wonderful job of bringing you into this magnificent story. You leave with the feeling that it just happened to you, and you must immediately phone a friend to tell them about your experience.

The story is very tragic and it surrounds a real life nightmare: school shootings. However, from such a dark place, something brilliant was born...The Life Before Her Eyes.

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.

This film isn't just about survivors of a school shooting. It's about hopes, dreams, and fears in relation to what a life can be or may never be. It's also about friendships, mistakes, regrets, misplaced love, choices, and how everything can change in the blink of an eye.

I would have preferred a bit more character development and stronger performances at times. But, that's somewhat forgivable considering the poetic message that the film ultimately strives for.

The tragic (and sadly still relevant) topic of school shootings is only a framework for a story about choices and the value of life.

This is a very good and very underrated film.

P. S.

I started writing this review three days ago, only to see the news yesterday of the school shooting in Uvalde Texas at Robb Elementary School. 19 children killed, and two adults. A horrific tragedy.

My heart goes out to the families of those victims and to everyone affected by ALL violent acts (everywhere in the world). I continue to hope for a future where every life is cherished, protected, and celebrated.

Choose LOVE.

Well, I don't usually muster up the energy to post reviews on IMDb, but frankly, after seeing all of the glowing reviews on here, I felt compelled to get the word out, as I'm sure there are people who share my point of view on this film.

I really don't mean to come across as unnecessarily harsh or critical, but this was probably the worst film I've seen in the past year. Yes, even worse than the latest studio offerings such as Vantage Point and 21.

You know how you go into a movie, and about ten minutes in, you get that horrible but ever-present "oh my god, this movie is going to be terrible" feeling? That's pretty much what this film's wholly unrealistic dialog and incredibly heavy-handed score brought out in me. Add on a number of overly-convenient plot points (let's have the character turn on the radio just as an expository news report is broadcast), a LOT of contrived pathos, an exploitation of columbine, and the most absurd and atrocious ending which makes the film go from bad to immeasurably worse... and you have "Life Before Her Eyes." And note - I enjoyed House of Sand and Fog.

I'll finish this up by saying that Evan Rachel Wood's performance, in spite of the horrible dialog she had to work with, was pretty good, all things considered. Someone needs to get this girl some good material so she can truly shine.

Vadim Perelman's 'The Life Before Her Eyes' is just as powerful but equally complex as his harrowing 'The House of Sand and Fog'. This movie is just as engaging and at times, also confusing. Perelman uses fascinating visuals. The film opens with a montage of various beautiful flowers (that have a symbolic definition) and then follows two girls to a highschool bathroom. The shootout scene takes place only within the bathroom while we hear gunfire in the background but for me this movie has achieved in that first sequence what the pretentious 'Elephant' didn't (which was also about a highschool shootout). While the focus is on the two girls, you literally see the fear in their eyes as their 'nice' day is interrupted and their lives are threatened.

On the technical side, it is a very well crafted film. The cinematography, the music, the sets and editing are all top notch. The visuals are detailed and pretty much every frame has something to say.

The ending is different from that of the book but I think both of them rise the same question. What would have you done if you were in Diana's shoes? The question isn't easy to answer because you never actually know unless you are facing such circumstance. That is the test of one's courage. Emil Stern's screenplay is dazzling. The story doesn't follow a linear structure but there's a reason for that. Dialogues are laden with interesting philosophy. Perelman beautifully tackles numerous themes such as friendship, post-traumatic stress, motherhood and abortion among others.

The cast features three powerful performances: by Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood and Eva Amurri. Thurman's portrayal of Diana's complexity, devotion to her family and inability to cope with her past is spot on. Wood and Amurri deliver very natural performances as two girls going through the usual teen problems but dealing with it differently because 'one has what the other doesn't' and that way they help each other. Their on screen friendship is very convincing hinting that they might actually be good friends in real life. Then there's the bathroom scene which could have easily gone wrong had it been played by lesser actresses but this is one of the most powerful scenes in a movie of recent time and one only has to watch it to understand its impact.

'The Life Before Her Eyes' is not an easy film to follow and those who are looking for something simple or light may feel let down but on the other hand it's a very strong movie. Perelman has hit the mark again just like he did with 'The House of Sand and Fog'. He seems to be intrigued by tragic stories and bringing them on screen. He does one hell of a job, again.

It was a decent movie. I'm a huge fan of Uma & Evan Rachel Wood.... With that being said... The ending made me kind of mad. There's so much more they could've done with that movie.

This is one of those films that is difficult to review without reviling any key plot points, so I will try my best to not. First off the acting is really good in this film, the original premise of this film is great and even Academy Award material. Instead of taking advantage of this, the director Vadim Perelman tries to be to clever for his own good. Within it's closing minutes the director decides to pull the carpet from underneath the audience, sometimes that works, but in my opinion, not here. Mostly because I liked the direction the film was going, I liked the original idea, a lot, but instead of that we have a forced ending, that has the audience scratching there heads and trying to put it all together. Sure there are times when putting it all together after the film is good, but at the expense of a possibly great film, it's just not worth that. I don't want my comments about the directors decisions to take away from Evan Rachel Wood and Uma Thurman's performances, they were both great and deserving of a much better and emotional final scene. There I think I did it, now you won't know what's coming, you'll just know it's going to be crap when it does.

I read the synopis for this film and then thought this would be a very interesting film to view. Uma Thurman does a decent job and is convincing as the tormented mother Diana who is getting over a school shooting incident that happened when she was in high school. Even Rachel Wood who plays the younger Diana back in high school is also very good. The film switches (without really any warning) between the two time periods.

The film starts off well and you can be forgiven that this is going to be a melodrama with psychological themes for Diana - and it is essentially. The film doesn't give you straight on the plate what happened back at the shooting and the fact that Diana was a survivor. So you get to know her better when she was younger and how her hopes and dreams and fears were contemplated for her future adulthood and we see in the present day how this has influenced her life.

Up to the halfway point the film is hooking but then it keeps switching back and forth without really giving you time to absorb what has happened in both times. You really are waiting to get down to the point of what really happened back in her high school and keeps making flashbacks to it but then keeps pausing. It can get a bit frustrating and for me personally I just wanted them to get to the point. When it gets there, it is a bit puzzling but once you realise what the film was climaxing to - it is a bit of a cheat (though luckily nothing as horrible as Perfect Stranger's ending).

Thurman gives the performance to watch here and Evan Rachel Wood is equally as good. The cinematography was really good and captured the mood of despair and sorrow the film carries. I don't know why so many critics hated it - it must be because of the constant switching back to try and entice you and ends up frustrating you sometimes and the ending which seems a bit implausible but overall I enjoyed this film and it shows how for some people they can imagine a life they may have in future and not realise how much the present impacts them.

One of the main reasons for picking this up is the star pairing of Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood playing the same character Diana in a tale that explores how lives get changed and affected in a post Columbine styled school shooting. Directed by Vadim Perelman who also helmed The House of Sand and Fog, The Life Before Her Eyes is adapted from the novel by Laura Kasischke, and the first scene sets up the hook beautifully - what if you're caught in a dead end with your best friend, and a gunman?

The narrative unfolds in non-linear fashion, which splits the story into two separate threads, one with the younger teenage Diana (Rachel Evan Wood) and her BFF Maureen (Eva Amurri) discussing the usual problems, issues and dreams a teenager would have, and their aspirations in life, and the other putting its focus on the adult Diana (Uma Thurman) now married to a professor and having to raise her child Emma (Gabrielle Brennan) who's quite a handful to handle, providing some mean reminiscence into her own past that she hopes she's able to steer her kid out from that doomed past.

In character pieces like this, both lead actresses shine in their respective spheres, with Evan Rachel Wood playing yet again an impetuous youth living life her own way, never hesitating to dabble in sex and drugs, and basically the making all the mistakes that one can make as a teen. The chemistry shared with Eva Amurri was excellently convincing so much so that with the pivotal scene in the bathroom, you're put on the edge of your seat as to the choices that both will make. Which you can partake in if you put yourself in similar shoes, with a gun pointed at you and a chance to live, or die, per your wishes.

Uma Thurman tackles her mom role with aplomb, juggling raising a kid with trying to avoid her past which is slowly coming back through flashbacks no thanks to the 15th anniversary of the fateful day in school. It may seem that she's living that perfect life, but the cracks soon show up and little things become opportunities for reminiscence. I suppose as a parent you will try that utmost best to avoid your kid repeating the same mistakes you have made, and will be on the lookout for warning signs. Thurman brings to the table that level of maturity, as well as a sense of paranoia as she tries hard to forget her past.

Vadim Perelman created a film that's basically very dreamlike in quality as it deals with themes such as conscience and self-preservation, and crafted the key bathroom scene with ingenuity that keeps you constantly guessing how it will all play out, and pulling his punches at the right time to keep up that level of suspense right up to the end. Production values are purposefully split down the middle to differentiate the landscapes between the two time periods to reflect the lifestyle and mood of Diana and of course to throw clues in addition to what's being done by the narrative, with a haunting soundtrack throughout courtesy of James Horner.

Some may not like the how the finale played out but I thought it was refreshingly different from the usual narrative twist attempts. Some may deem it not plausible, but I tend to consider it not as being performed during a single moment, but more of being worked on over a period of time. After all, an idea isn't just conceived and worked on overnight - we tend to think about it at some lengths not necessarily always during the same sitting. Even if you have an inkling of how it will play out, it's the delivery of key scenes and the wonderful dramatic performances that make this way above average. Recommended!

While Rachel is still a young teen herself, ignorant, and gullible, it amazes me that Uma took a film this bad. The story is like something made up for a religious magazine or booklet handout.

In short, had I seen this before Juno, I wouldn't have been so hard on Juno. As bad as Juno is, this is easily one of the worst teen films ever made. It doesn't even offer a soundtrack worth listening to unless you include a brief clip of The Zombies "She's Not There". If only the film wasn't there, my time wouldn't have been wasted.

Besides the simplistic religious preaching at the core of the story, the worst part may be the attempt to cash in on the interest and curiosity about school shootings. The film provides absolutely no insight into them. If anything, it might promote a school, theater, camera, or TV shooting.

The sophisticated Perelman/Kasischke sensibilities will not be for all markets; this is essentially a rather highbrow film, with a surprise ending which will spoil it for some who want their movies to be straightforward, but which is essential to its philosophical heart. Thurman is outstanding as the older, pensive Diana, and Wood perhaps even better as the self-confident, rebellious younger version. Perelman's direction captures the dreamy lyricism contrasting with a sometimes brutal realism that is also found in Kasischke's beautiful and poetic 2002 novel. There won't be many better, genuinely adult movies this year, and most likely it will be ignored.

The film is beautiful, well done but the story is all mental feelings. We get confused as where reality and insanity are. The end is not helping in that regard except maybe confirms an insane state.

This was probably the worst film I have seen all year... I watch movies most days of the week and it is not an understatement. And I see the beauty in most films... so much so that even my girlfriend thinks some of the films I enjoy are dreadful. I love Uma Thurman and have no idea why she would do a film this bad... I watched this film due to the reviews I had seen on this site which were blinding. I can't believe there are so many idiotic reviewers on here and no matter how hard I try, i find it impossible to see what they could have got from this film. absolute drivel. Read the book I'm sure it's probably good but this film is not worth the time. I'd prefer to watch daytime cable television... through a shop window!

This film is about an intertwining story of a teenage girl involved in a college massacre, and her life 15 years later.

When I watched "The Life Before Her Eyes", I did not enjoy it. I thought it was some kind of supernatural thriller but it was not. The young Diana and the grown up Diana were connected too thinly together. I did not see much connection between the two, apart from disconnected scenes such as the name Emma, or the similar behaviour between Emma and the young Diana. Hence, scenes become disjointed mess. The ending was utterly confusing, and I was left to wonder what I had watched for 90 minutes.

After reading about what really happened in the film on the message boards, I started to appreciate the film better. What I thought was thin connection happened for a reason. I can only say that I am not in the mood to play puzzles or to analyse a film in depth. If I watched it another time I might have enjoyed it more.