If you see a lot of movies in the theater it is likely you’ve encountered a group of obnoxious high school students that made you debate leaving the movie. Well, Before I Fall introduces its four lead female characters and they qualify for the above description. However, if you can get past the setup of their teenage archetypes the film manages to become pretty solid and ends extremely well.
Before I Fall starts tough, but ends strong
Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutch) is a popular girl at high school who is looking to celebrate Cupid’s day with her best friends and her boyfriend Rob. When Juliet (Elena Kampouris) shows up the girl’s night gets a little out of sorts and end up in a car accident. Samantha wakes up to find herself in her bed on Cupid’s day again which sets off this Groundhogs Day-esque story. Despite the similarity to the plot devices of the repeating day, this film falls squarely into the high school drama genre and manages to deliver a powerful message about bullying and being a better person.
Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Cynthy Wu, and Medalion Rahimi play the four friends and mean girls of the film. They are seniors and the envy or scourge of their peers. Samantha appears to be the newest member of the clique and the one with the most kindness inside of her. Yet, the film opens with her being short with her parents, rude to her baby sister, and obnoxious as the other three. So, it’s hard to be invested in these characters initially. The Out of the Bottle story archetype discussed in Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat come into teach Samantha a lesson.
Director Ry Russo-Young does a solid job with this film. She, with screenwriter Maria Maggenti and novelist Lauren Oliver, creates characters that are in, themselves, archetypes. They are playing the role of the people they think are desired by their peers. That dynamic plays a factor as the film explores who this girls, particularly Samantha, truly are behind their masks. It’s what makes this film enjoyable by the end.
Final Thoughts…
Ultimately, Before I Fall is a solid film that utilizes the repetitious day to teach a lesson to a jaded high school student. It’s well acted, but does take awhile to become enjoyable. After it was over I did feel extremely satisfied with the story that was told and found it a film most high school kids should see. Before I Fall earned the Decent Watch rating.
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