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The Life Before Her Eyes opens amidst a lush floral landscape silhouetted by brilliant turquoise blue skies.  Opulent flowers shot in macro close-ups replete with deeply saturated colors - it’s springtime in all it’s glory. We’re ripped from the beauty and solitude of the opening sequence as it gives way to a scene in high school somewhere in Connecticut, where students are in the springtime of their lives. “When is it all going to start?” asks wild-child Diana (Evan Rachel Wood). Immediately we’re thrust into a situation involving guns and kids a la Columbine. Best friends, Diana and Maureen (Eva Amurri) are trapped in the bathroom, confronted by a gunman. Almost without warning, terrifying and life-altering decisions will be made.

As the film unfolds, we are transported forward fifteen years to the anniversary of the shootings. The camera follows Diana (played with quiet beauty and grace by Uma Thurman), a suburban wife and mother, as she reflects on the day when her life was irrevocably altered. Now an adult, as her life is unraveling, Perelman deftly weaves the story invoking her past with the fragile present. But exactly what is reality and what is imaginary? 

The Life Before Her Eyes, directed by Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog) is based on the best-selling novel of the same name written by Laura Kasischke. Originally titled, In Bloom, the name was changed back to the original title of the book. I had the opportunity to ask the director why he decided to take that measure. He told me that they had come to the conclusion that they needed a little more of a hint for the audience going into the film. “In Bloom was just a little too esoteric. Very poetic, but”…….(and he trails off). I tend to agree with Perelman, if he wanted to set a more ominous tone, In Bloom might have sent the wrong message. James Horner’s (House of Sand and Fog) original music is haunting and adds to the overall tone.

What makes this film tick is the fine work on the part of the three leading actress’. Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen) does troubled teen like no other actress her age. Her portrayal of the young Diana is so realistic; I thought she was plucked from the hallways of my own high school. I knew many more girls in school that were of her ilk, as opposed to Ellen Page’s portrayal of a troubled teen in Juno. Eva Amurri as the goody-two shoes Maureen does not even have to speak – her eyes say everything as they widen in horror. Their friendship is at the core of the movie and although they are polar opposites, their sense of wonder in what lies ahead and loyalty shine through. I’m not sure how such young performers could draw out such emotion. I would have to give credit to Perelman for their uniformly outstanding performances. 

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