Before I Fall | Ry-Russo Young | March 3, 2017
Young Adult Fiction takes a serious step with Before I Fall, the adaptation of Lauren Oliver’s novel, scripted by writer Maria Maggenti. Director Ry-Russo Young, aware of the demographic she has to cater to, blends great cinematography and an indie-friendly soundtrack as a backdrop to the central focus of the film, protagonist Sam Kingston, portrayed by Zoey Deutch.
Sam is a high school senior who lives in a town that resembles something like Washington- constant rain, cloudy skies, surrounded by big trees and mountains. The setting reminds us of another YAF movie, doesn’t it? Sam and her friends are the “it” clique of the school. We have the girl who is always down for an adventure (Medallion Rahimi), the intellect (Cinthy Wu), the quintessential mean girl (Halston Sage), and the conscientious all-arounder (Zoey Deutch).
It’s Valentine’s Day in the unnamed town and a massive party is to be held by her once good friend Kent (Logan Miller) and Sam plans to lose her virginity to her boyfriend Rob (Kian Lawley). The night ends up being a disaster; Sam’s boyfriend is a drunken embarrassment and the class outcast Juliet (Elena Kampouris) shows up and unleashes some mean words that have been repressed by years and years of bullying. After the altercation, the gang decide to head home and en route, Lindsay, the de facto leader, loses control of the wheel and crashes her SUV. Sam wakes up and is slow to realize that she is repeating the previous day again. Groundhog Day for teenagers.
Russo Young does an excellent job of making every single day not feel like the same day. There are little reminders for viewers (the groovy alarm clock song followed by Sam gasping for air, every girl’s entrance to Lindsay’s car) but every repeated day feels unique, and the more Sam comes to terms with her situation, Russo Young uses it as a way to expand the narrative.
What a way to make a coming of age movie that takes place in a span of a day. Zoey Deutch is perfectly cast for this role. In her first film as a lead, she hits all the emotions of a young woman who is unfortunately trapped in a horrible dilemma. As the movie goes along, you see the maturity of her character develop all the way to the end and climax of the movie. Deutch does this effortlessly. As a viewer, I cannot wait to see more movies with her. She has all the makings of a star.
Overall, Before I Fall was much better than I expected it to be. This was a movie that was light on its feet, but still demands viewers to take it seriously. This was a small but important step in the growth of a genre that could find itself with an audience other than teenagers.
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