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The Life Before Her Eyes

You'll wish the movie would go by in a flash

By Geoff Berkshire

Metromix
April 17, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Rebellious Diana (Evan Rachel Wood) and her straight-laced friend Maureen (Eva Amurri) are just trying to survive high school when a gunman turns their lives into a nightmare. Fifteen years later, Diana (Uma Thurman) starts losing her grip on reality as she reflects on her teenage years.

Big question: Why can't actresses as talented and risk-taking as Wood and Thurman find better material to take a chance on?

Skip it: Although Wood and Amurri are enjoyable to watch, the movie they're in really isn't. Director Vadim Perelman's semi-successful debut, "House of Sand and Fog," pushed its tragedy to operatic levels. This follow-up approaches misery as a cryptic mystery for puzzle-lovers, which only obliterates any reason to care about the characters.

Catch it: To see Thurman, who has no strong scene-partner to rely on, struggle mightily with carrying her half of the story. By the end you'll realize why her efforts didn't even matter.

Bottom line: There’s a final twist that tries to redefine everything that’s come before it, but only proves that the rest of the movie wasn’t so confusing and irritating by accident—it was designed that way. Unlike Thurman, Wood emerges unscathed but this is just one more disappointing film for the adventurous actress. It’s about time she finds a project worthy of her talents.

Bonus: The film's press notes sum up the tone nicely: "Sophie's Choice" meets "The Others." Who could resist that?