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Thurman Performs ‘Life’ Support
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‘The Life Before Her Eyes’ is director Vadim Perelman’s follow up to ‘House of Sand and Fog.’ The Cinema Society and Nicole Miller hosted a special screening on Tuesday in New York. It opens this weekend, having received widely mixed reviews on the festival circuit. Audiences either love it or hate it.
The film stars Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood as the same character fifteen years apart. It hinges on a Columbine-like high school scene where the younger, wild Diana (Wood) and her best friend, born-again Maureen (Eva Amurri) are trapped at in the girl’s bathroom by a gun-wielding teenager. Diana is forced to make a sort of Sophie’s choice about which one will die.
Flash forward fifteen years to the adult Diana (Thurman) who’s beginning to crack up from guilt and remorse as the anniversary of the shooting approaches. This turns out to be a ruse for guilt over another event from her wild, sexually experimental past, which we won’t reveal at the risk of being spoilers.
Like ‘Sand and Fog,’ ‘Life’ is atmospheric, and Perelman layers on the visual imagery with a trowel. This heavy-handedness takes the brunt of criticism from detractors, although it seems that what they really hate is the film’s heavy-handed message.
During the final act, Perelman gets out of his director’s chair just in time to climb up on his soapbox. If you agree with his point of view, chances are you’ll like the film. If you happen to be a supporter of women’s rights, however, it’s probably best to stay away unless you just enjoy getting riled up.
