A movie post

I've been watching a lot of tv on dvd lately, and haven't been to the theaters in a few weeks. I did watch this one the other day, though, and I really, really liked it. 

The Life Before Her Eyes is about two high school girls, a school shooting, and what comes after. Sort of. See, there's a great twist at the end of this movie and lots of hints along the way. Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood play Diana McPhee. She's headstrong and a little bit of a rebel, but grows up to become an art teacher. She's married to a philosophy professor and has a daughter of her own. The movie begins 15 years after a tragic school shooting that occurred at Diana's high school. Eva Amurri plays Diana's best friend, Maureen. The movie flips back and forth between Diana's life and the events leading up to the shooting. 

I love how the flashbacks really don't play out in sequence. They start with the shooting and bounce back and forth through Diana and Maureen's friendship. While this is a very emotionally exhausting film to watch, I thought that it was terrific. I loved the story, the characters, the style, I didn't love crying my head off at the end, but what can you do?

The Life Before her Eyes is based on the book by Laura Kasischke. I'm not familiar with her work, but she's got four other adult novels and two YA novels out, the most recent of which is Feathered, a story about three high school girls on spring break in Cancun. 

So, if you're in the mood for a somewhat depressing thriller - c'mon it's about a school shooting! - check this one out. It's well worth the tears. 

You know, I can't for the life of me remember what DVD I first saw the previews for this movie on. I know I also saw previews for Quid Pro Quo and Mister Foe. I've got Quid here and Foe is not out yet. I'll let you know how they both turn out. All three are put out by Magnolia Pictures. Others coming soon and already saved in my rental queue are Timecrimes and Let the Right One In, based on John Ajvide Lindqvist's Scandinavian vampire book of the same name (Let Me In in the states).