The Life Before Her Eyes

Plot

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

Release Year: 2007

Rating: 6.4/10 (8,111 voted)

Critic's Score: 38/100

Director:
Vadim Perelman

Stars: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri Martino

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.

Writers: Laura Kasischke, Emil Stern

Cast:

Uma Thurman
–

Diana (Adult)

Evan Rachel Wood
–

Diana (Teen)

Eva Amurri Martino
–

Maureen

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

Taglines:
Diana's life is not what it seems.

Details

Official Website:
Magnolia Pictures [United States] |
Metropolitan Films [France] |

Release Date: 5 September 2008

Filming Locations: Darien, Connecticut, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $8,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $20,220
(USA)
(20 April 2008)
(8 Screens)

Gross: $303,439
(USA)
(29 June 2008)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

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.

Quotes:

Young Diana:
Maureen, what did I do to deserve a friend like you?

Maureen:
Um, something in a past life?

User Review

An intensely beautiful picture

Rating: 9/10


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.