adonis98-743-186503 February 12 is just another day in Sam's charmed life, until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her last day over and over, Sam untangles the mystery around her death and discovers everything she's losing. Before i Fall is pretty interesting but unfortunately that's just as much as it can truly give you since it's just like 'Groundhog Day' which i did liked the concept but not the execution and the same problem happens with this movie as well. Let's just say that the acting was pretty good but the story? It tried a bit way too much at times even for a drama. (5/10)

gillescolling Before I Fall is certainly one of the strangest movies I have seen. I know this movie will be polarizing, there cannot be a middle ground. I will try to keep this spoiler free and just talk about the theme of this movie. On the surface this movie is cheap rip-off of groundhog day with teenage girls, cheesy morals and boring dialog. It's a film that could fit in with your average girly TV and melodrama that has become standard such in mediocre shows. I know what you're wondering, how did I even score this movie so high? I am obviously not a great fan of kitsch and this movie radiates with it. I warn you, don't turn off after the first half of the movie, it won't show you anything. You might think this movie is about your classic story of a girl that needs to grow up to finish high school and become a good person. And it is, but if you only see the first layer to it it's terrible. The movie needs that time to establish it's play ground and it deserves my high score because it uses that playground of teenage drama to slowly build up tension. It's like loading up a gun and firing it at right moment to hit a bullseye. Then the echos of that shot deliver what really hits home. If you aren't open to that, you probably won't like this movies. There are small thematic spoilers ahead, but if you're not sold yet, read on. On a second layer this movie deals with a girl that loses her ego and becomes a better person. A girl that finds peace and love. To be more precise it deals with the theme of how people mature. Everywhere there are these signs and symbols that hint to philosophy but they are placed so obviously and are so in your face that you basically ignore them. For example the theme Sisyphus looks so like it's there because it kinda fits the whole groundhog day idea. Cheesy and boring. But it plays multiple purposes and hides in plain sight that it's also about the monotony of life. That we forget to love people we love that we get lost in a machinery life that makes us put one foot before the other, carrying our personal burdens, never sharing and never caring. Never allowing us to actually feel because we've become numb in our personal hell. Therein lies the brilliancy of this movie. When the pieces come together and see that beautiful picture Russo-Young tries to paint. The movie definitely deceives it's viewers in that sense. You make expectations by what you see in the beginning and judge off that and wonder how the story plays out. The point is that this movie takes a more simplistic approach, it condensates what in principle all stories are really about: to sell an idea to an audience. What I mean by that is that the story is irrelevant, it's only the medium. Our protagonist lives a very unhappy life but she can't figure out what's wrong. She gets more and more frustrated with life and takes an aggressive nihilistic stance. Her nihilistic approach then metamorphs into martyry, a bit like the ending from groundhog day. Russo-Young or Lauren Oliver saw so much more potential after that. None of her actions really fix her. Now comes a key scene in the movie (for those of you who have seen it, I'm talking about when she finds out why the accident that takes her back happened at all). For the first time she tries to take an open look at her life. She objectively sees how she and her friends have been running over other people. How she caused harm and despair, that in her martyry she tried to fix the world and change everyone for the better and how she behaves towards them but never herself. She accepts what I can only describe as positive nihilism. She loves other people in her life. She breaks down her own barrier and reveals herself to her loved ones. She accepts death. That is the final challenge she had to overcome.

FandomFanatic21 Before I Fall, is truly a very very important movie about bullying and being the best person you possibly can be. After dying from a car accident, Sam wakes up reliving the same day over and over. Now the movie seems boring and pointless, however the movie had heart and passion. This movie had me in tears and made me wonder what makes me a good person? What are some things I need to work on? How can I show love towards this person or that person? Before I Fall reminds us that we only have one life and what we choose to do within that small time we have on this Earth is up to us. I highly recommend the movie to anyone out there old or young. The movie has changed my life and the way I look at myself. This film will have you in tears."Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe for you, there's 1,000 or 3,000, or 10... So much time, you can bathe in it. So much time, you can waste it. But for some of us, there's only today, and what you do today matters - in the moment, and maybe into infinity... But I didn't know any of that... Until right before I fell." -Sam, Before I Fall

kluseba Before I Fall is best described as a contemporary feminist take on Groundhog Day. It tells the story of high school student Samantha who seems to have a quite normal life. She lives with her friendly parents and her good-spirited little sister. She has three best friends that stick together through thick and thin but who can also be quite arrogant and mean. The four girls bully a shy and silent girl with a very strange behavior at school. Samantha has a male childhood friend who is depserately in love with her but she also has a good-looking boyfriend who is quite popular among girls. It's Cupid Day and Samantha's clumsy childhood friend throws a part at his house as he hopes to impress his crush. Samantha is though planning on finally losing her virginity to her boyfriend and is morally supported by her excited friends. Things turn sour when the bullied girl unexpectedly comes to the party and gets into a fight with Samantha's best friend. The shy outsider runs away while Samantha and her friends feel frustrated about the ruined party and decide to drive home. On their way on a dark road, their car hits something and Samantha dies just to wake up in the morning of Cupid Day again. She realizes she has to figure out why she must live the same day over and over again. Samantha tries to organize some changes and experiments in her life to break the time loop.There are several great elements about the film but also a few downsides. Let's start with the negative points. The story line is rather unoriginal and the plot development quite flat at times. The movie is at times also overtly sentimental. Since the movie is mostly about Samantha, her three best friends and the strange girl, it's a film that might appeal more to female than male audiences. Witnessing the four girls bitching throughout considerable parts of the movie was quite tiring. I must also say that the male characters are all quite one-dimensional. The only two male characters of interest are a superficial womanizer who wants to sleep with the protagonist and the clumsy childhood friend who nearly stalks the protagonist.The movie also has many positive elements. I really like the film's gloomy and mysterious atmosphere that isn't just carried by the plot but by the wild landscapes of the American Northwest, the moody light techniques and the fitting alternative pop score. The protagonist's character development is particularly interesting to follow as she becomes very wise, warm and selfless throughout her fateful journey. The acting performances are great and especially lead actress Zoey Deutch convinces as rebellious teenage girl who rediscovers her good-spirited side. The movie obviously makes you think about your everyday life and daily decisions which gives some food for thought for philosophic discussions.In the end, you should watch Before I Fall if you like philosophic teenage dramas with a supernatural touch. I guess the movie might rather strike a chord with female than male audiences as well. While I really like this type of story, I must admit that especially the film's middle part was somewhat plodding. I personally prefered the similar but more vivid Happy Death Day as well as the Life Is Strange video games for a more mysterious coming-of-age experience.