Before I Fall follows a teenage girl when she is tragically killed in a car accident and forced to relive the same day over and over—Groundhog Day-style.
The film is based on Lauren Oliver’s novel of the same name, who has also written the best-selling Delirium trilogy. When it comes to book-to-film adaptions, I fall into the category of those who prefer to read the book prior to watching the movie and typically the book is always better, however, sometimes the film can surpass its original source material.
With the Groundhog Day concept done many of times in both television and film, Oliver did a commendable job with the book, but this may not be this case for the film.
The film follows Sam (Zoey Deutch) who is your typical high school student until she is killed on February 12th. After the car accident, instead of dying, she instantly wakes up to have the day replay again and again until something changes. Her character is considered to be part of the well-known clique in her high school and their clique are praised as if they are the ‘Regina George and minions’ of the school.
In the novel, Oliver did well to depict the high school setting, which isn’t always achieved well in all young adult novels. In many high school based plots, it’s always one of the outcasts who beat the popular kids, but in this story, Sam turns on her friends in order to understand what’s going on.
As she relives each day over, she discovers there has been some drama involving a girl named Juliet, who later commits suicide. Eventually the conflict is resolved, but does it end happily? Read or watch to find out!
The film stars Zoey Deutch (Vampire Academy), Halston Sage (Paper Towns) and Elena Kampouris (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2). Before I Fall is out in most cinemas worldwide.
Have you seen the film? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
