Before I Fall (2017)

Before I Fall is a cross between Mean Girls and Groundhog Day with a dash of suicide prevention thrown in. Now that I write that, it doesn’t sound too appealing, but this tight little teen drama held my attention and had me almost liking even the meanest mean girl. And that’s a real trick when you make the antagonist somewhat likable and completely understandable.

I’ve seen time loop movies before. This one jumps into a familiar genre and makes each loop interesting by slowly revealing more clues as the protagonist enters a cycle of rapid maturation. The funny thing about these movies is that although Samantha, the teenage girl caught in the time loop, is surrounded by friends, family, and countless strangers, she is isolated as she repeats this fateful day over and over again. And whereas Bill Murray’s Phil the weatherman was always on the outside of normal life and relationships and eventually learns what he was missing, Samantha’s isolation in the midst of a busy life only compounds the normal teen experience. Most teens feel that no one can understand what they are going through, and in this case, she is correct.

Before I Fall is a smartly written and directed little drama that is sure to entertain. [rating=3]