The Life Before Her Eyes (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review [Text View]

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Ralph Potts

08-19-08, 09:51 AM

<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=117208&d=1219156026"hspace="12"align="left">
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109945&d=1210373692">

Extras: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109944&d=1210373692">

 Audio/Video total rating:
 ( Max score: 100 )
<h2>86</h2>
 
Studio and Year: Magnolia - 2008
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 90 Minutes
Genre: Thriller/Drama

Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
 
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English & Spanish
Starring: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri, Oscar Isaac, Brett Cullen
Directed by: Vadim Perelman
Music by: James Horner
Written by: Emil Stern
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: August 19, 2008

 
<center><h2>"Diana’s life is not what it seems"</h2></center>

<h4>Film Synopsis:</h4>Imaginative, impetuous and wild Diana (Evan Rachel Wood) can't wait for her adult life to begin. Diana tests her limits as her more conservative friend Maureen (Eva Amurri) watches with concern. But Diana's aura of invincibility is shattered when a moment of life and death decision-making forever changes the lives of the two best friends.

<h4>My Take:</h4><img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=117219&d=1219156588"hspace="6"align="right">The life before her eyes is a psychological thriller based upon the novel by Laura Kisischke. It is about two teenage girls who are best friends until a tragic event shatters their lives. They are two very different people which is probably why they are drawn together. Diana is outgoing, impulsive and usually in trouble in school. Maureen is quiet, goes to church, doesn’t have a boyfriend and is a responsible teenager. They are very close and tell each other everything that goes on in their lives. The film opens up with the two girls entering the bathroom at school. While they are in there they begin to hear screams and what sounds like gunfire coming from the hallway outside. Before they can do anything one of their classmates, Michael, enters the bathroom carrying an automatic weapon. He has just shot teaches and students alike and informs them that he is about to shoot ONE of them. The story jumps ahead 15 years after the incident and focuses on Diana who is now married and has a young daughter of her own named Emma. The remainder of the film is told through a series of flashbacks mixed with the present that shows Diana and Maureen back in the days prior to the shooting and Diana’s current life with her family. She is haunted by the memories of that horrific day in the school bathroom and has nightmares about what happened. Throughout the movie that same scene is replayed and each time a little more information is revealed about its outcome and perhaps how it affected Diana in her adult life. Evan Rachel Wood is a fine actress and her portrayal of young Diana is solid. She first impressed me when she played Jesse on the ABC TV series “Once and again”. She has been in quite a few feature films since and I find her to be captivating onscreen. I respect Uma Thurman as an actress but thought that her performance was not particularly genuine in this film. Gabrielle Brennan who plays Diana’s daughter is cute as a button but not nearly the actress that Dakota Fanning was at her age. Wood and Amurri, who portrayed Maureen, gave performances that really helped establish the credibility of their characters. The film moves in and out of time and drops subtle hints along the way about what is occurring and what has already occurred. Be sure to pay attention. When it was over and the truth about what happened was revealed I felt a bit disappointed. I felt that the film’s explanation wasn’t practical based upon some of the events that transpired. Up until that time I was chomping at the bit to see how it would turn out and why. I would say that everyone may have their own reaction/feelings about it and would be best served by seeing it for themselves.

<h4>Parental Guide:</h4>The rating is for violent and disturbing content, language, sexual references and brief drug use.

 AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65 

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

<h4>Audio: 84</h4>
<ul>
<li>Dynamics: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109945&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Low frequency extension: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109945&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Surround Sound presentation: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Clarity/Detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109948&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Dialogue Reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109948&d=1210373699">
</li></ul>

<h4>Video: 88</h4>
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

<ul>
<li>Resolution/Clarity: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Black level/Shadow detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Color reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Fleshtones: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Compression: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"</li></ul><img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=117220&d=1219156588"hspace="6"align="left">The life before her eyes comes to Blu-ray Disc from Magnolia featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio that has an average bitrate of 3.6 mbps. A variety of colors are effectively used in this film to help set the tone/setting based upon the mood of the scene and characters within it. The cinematography is beautiful. Colors can vary from being sullen and inanimate to breathtakingly vivid with warm vitality. Skin tones looked wonderful with natural tonality and descriptive variation. Images onscreen were exquisitely detailed and sharp with superb depth of field and visible structure. This was regardless of perspective. The video had solid contrast and deep blacks that provided excellent perceptibility during scenes shot at night or in lower lighting. The video had a clean, pristine quality that enhanced dimensionality and provided the looking through a window effect.The lossless audio soundtrack delivered the goods as well. Dynamics were excellent which provided plenty of depth and audible texture to voices. Subtle background sounds such as the mist generated by a sprinkler, or leaves being rustled by a gentle breeze through the woods were clearly audible thanks to the tracks excellent clarity and detail. Being a film driven mostly by dialogue didn’t afford this mix a lot of opportunities for active surround sound. Its use was primarily to create ambient environmental sounds and provide more envelopment for the music score. The subwoofer piped in low frequency effects to help add weight to the music and low end rumble during scenes like the gunfire sequence in the school. I thought the mix and sound quality were excellent.

<h4>Bonus Features:</h4>

 The bonus supplements were above average and with the exception of the theatrical trailer were all in standard definition. It offered a 54 minute making of documentary that broke the production up into segments. It began with discussion of the story and then on to a script to screen description, followed by casting of the film etc. I thought that it was a good concept and that really went into great detail. The cast and crew were featured in extensive interview pieces which provided lots of insights, background and behind the scenes footage. In my opinion this was the best feature content wise. The Reflections documentary featured interviews of real people who have had near death experiences. It was on the bland side and seemed out of place to me. I had high hopes for the alternate ending but it didn’t offer the answers I was looking for. I do think that it was better than the theatrical ending though. The deleted scenes, casting tape and photo galleries were okay but didn’t add to the enjoyment of the film. The audio commentary was interesting and definitely worth checking out if you like the movie. 

<ul>
<li>Audio commentary with Director Vadim Perelman and Production Designer Maia Javan </li>
<li>5 Deleted scenes </li>
<li>Alternate ending </li>
<li>Eva Amurri casting tape </li>
<li>Flower photo gallery </li>
<li>Flower montage </li>
<li>Flashback: Behind The life before her eyes</li>
<li>Reflections back and beyond </li>
<li>(HD) Theatrical Trailer </li></ul><img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=117221&d=1219156588"hspace="6"align="right">

<h4>Final Thoughts:</h4>

I was torn about how I should rate this film. I thought its visual style and telling was excellent but its ending didn’t quite live up to the build up that preceded it. If the intention was to leave the ending on an ambiguous note I could live with that. I am not so sure that is the case. In the end I decided to look past that and to watch it again when I get the chance. I think this is a good film that throws a lot into the mix and leaves the outcome a bit open for interpretation by the audience. Magnolia has done a wonderful job with the presentation of The life before her eyes on Blu-ray Disc. That alone may make it worth a revisit. I would recommend a rental prior to purchase for those who are curious. 

<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109949&d=1210373731" align=left>
 
 Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews

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Dahlsim

08-20-08, 09:46 AM

Ralph Potts

08-20-08, 10:10 AM

Sounds intriguing. I appreciate the fact you offer plenty of commentary on the movie itself in addition to the technical ratings.

I'll also probably be disappointed though if the movie doesn't present a decisive conclusion.

Greetings,

The conclusion is decisive but doesn't add up after you reflect back on eariler events...

Cheers,

Dahlsim

08-20-08, 10:38 AM

Greetings,

The conclusion is decisive but doesn't add up after you reflect back on eariler events...

Cheers,

Aha. Ok, I can probably live with that a little more.

Given much of the weak story writing in too many modern movies I'm learning to live with things that "don't add up". :)

allargon

08-20-08, 11:43 AM

I'm going to skip the movie commentary and just focus on the technical.

Magnolia must be getting better. 88 from Ralph is pretty good.

I wasn't sure if I would wait for this one to come on HDNet Movies, Showtime or just rent the Blu. 88 means I will rent the Blu.

Thanks, Ralph.

Ralph Potts

08-20-08, 01:02 PM

Deja Vu

08-22-08, 12:04 PM

Jacob's Ladder is one of my favourite films so it took me about a nanosecond to guess the ending. Diana as an older woman is having guilt problems and this just doesn't jive with the ending. It's a poor attempt (this "guilt") to divert the viewer from guessing the ending and only ends up confusing everyone.

Ralph Potts

08-22-08, 03:18 PM

Goatse

08-23-08, 04:33 PM

This movie had a good premise but didn't execute it very well. Check out the movie "Stay", much better done on the same idea.

Imagination

09-01-08, 04:27 AM

The movie didn't work for me.

I thought there would be clues in each scene that led to a big reveal at the end like the "Sixth Sense". It didn't happen.

What was the deal with the closing scenes with the young girl? How did that tie in with the movie's ending?

alfbinet

09-01-08, 05:16 PM

The movie worked for me. I rented from Netflix and viewed it. I just bought it from Amazon. My review at Amazon was to rent it first and if you like it buy it. I liked it and bought it.

laugsbach

09-07-08, 08:43 AM

Thank you Ralph for a thoughtful review. :)

Based on your review, I rented this title and now I will buy it and place it next to "Jacob's Ladder" & "The Sixth Sense" in my collection. I would bump the film's value up to 4 out of 5.

The Zombies' song playing on the radio was the final clue for me.:D

Larry

Ralph Potts

09-07-08, 11:38 AM

emo17

05-16-09, 01:46 AM

Could someone please tell me what happened at the end?

SPOILER!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE MOVIE!!

To me there are two possible endings that make sense. I want to know which one is the "right" ending. I think it's actually supposed to be whatever you think it is, or up for interpretation as to which ending is the right one. Every step of the way the movie was designed to have two possible logical outcomes and for people to debate it. But I want to know which you think is the correct ending and why.

Here are the two possible endings:

The 1st is the more obvious one where Diana dies at the end, and all the older Diana (Uma Thurman) scenes are flashes of what her life could have been, and that Emma was never born and not real but her aborted fetus (although if it was her aborted fetus when she was 17 shouldn't the girl in the flashes 15 years later be 15 years old, not 9 or 10? Can someone explain that in regards to this possible scenario and how it would make sense? Because as far as I can tell it only makes sense in the second scenario). Anyway Emma tells Uma Thurman "I hate you" and that represents young Diana's guilt about aborting the baby, and that the baby would think old Diana hates it, and the baby is always running away, and old Diana chases her into the forest to find she isn't there, that type of thing, etc etc, and Diana dies. That's scenario 1.

Is that really what happened?

The question you have to ask is which is true, the beginning of this movie, or the end. The explanation above makes sense, but it could also be something else. Here is the other theory that makes sense. What i am wondering is which is correct?

From the beginning of the movie forward it makes it seem like Diana said "no don't kill me" and let go of her friends' hand and let her friend die. At the beginning, the adult Diana, Uma Thurman, said to her husband "I just have to make it through this week," the anniversary week. is that something that the young Diana would be thinking about right before dying? And why is it that the part she thinks about (if it is a flash of what her life could have been) is the 15th anniversary?

Anyway, in this scenario what could have happened is young Diana actually did let her friend die. Why else would you never see the friend in the "flash of the future." If young Diana was imagining what her life could have been like if she didn't die (assuming she did die), wouldn't her best friend have been in that life?

So this is why it makes just as much sense to me that young Diana did die. The whole movie when shown from older Diana's viewpoint or whatever is that she's so sad and feeling guilty constantly about her friend dying (or that's what they make you think until the end).

So close to the end of the movie, what could have happened is that old Diana is real, alive, feeling incredibly guilty about letting her friend die, and she starts losing her mind a little bit. Like at the beginning where she says "i just need to make it through this week." Maybe she doesn't make it through without getting unhinged. Maybe when we see young Diana get shot, it's old Diana imagining it, wishing she could go back and sacrifice herself instead of her friend. Maybe old Diana feels so guilty about her friend that the end of the movie is old Diana's fantasy, her wishing to die, wishing she'd died instead. If you watch the movie again pay special attention to the way she says it. "Shoot me. Shoot me! Should me Michael" Like she actually wants it. She wants to die instead of her friend. Not only that, old Diana is so guilty about it and so unhappy that it might go beyond just wanting to save her friend. She wants to save her friend of course, but because she's so unhappy about it old Diana might actually wish to die herself just because she wants to die.

So like I said, is the beginning true, or the end? At the beginning they make you think that Diana let her friend die, that Diana is still alive, guilty about letting her friend get killed, trying to make it through the anniversary week of the shooting 15 years later, possibly wishing she'd died instead.

At the end they make you think Diana really died after all and let her friend live, yet if her friend was alive why wasn't she alive in the scenes with older Diana?

I think if you look at the movie poster that is what it's supposed to be about. There are two reflections. It could go either way. It could be young Diana dying and thinking about what could have been, or it could be old Diana imagining things and feeling so guilty and wishing she could go back and die and imagining if she'd gone back and said "shoot me."

That being said, the whole "Emma" thing with the child fits in to the first scenario where Diana actually dies much better in some ways, and not in others, like the whole abortion thing, and the child saying "you hate me" out of the blue, that fits into the first scenario much better. The abortion thing doesn't fit into the second scenario very well.

But thattt being said, if young Diana had an abortion at 17, and her future what could have been life was flashing before her eyes, and what she was seeing was fifteen years later, and she was imagining what could ahve been if she hadn't aborted Emma. Well, 15 years later, Emma would have been 15, not some little girl. So that does not make any sense at all UNLESS (and this fits into the second scenario), Diana did NOT really die, and she got pregnant again 6 years later or so and had the baby and named it Emma.

So, which is it?

What I'm saying is maybe in that pivotal scene, everything up through when Diana says "no, don't kill me" is true. But the rest, where she says "Shoot me Michael. Shoot me" is her imagining it, wishing she'd died instead, wishing she could die now 15 years later, even though she's alive.

Again, which is it? And does anyone know if there is a "the life before her eyes" forum where more people pay attention and post where I can ask the same question?

Also please feel free to PM me your thoughts as a week from now if not many people are responding to this I may not be looking in this thread as often as I otherwise would.