ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Chris Smith (RockPortReview) This film is a beautiful and lyrical meditation of what could have been. What if things would have happened differently? The Life before her Eyes is the second film from director Vadim Perelman, whose first film The House of Sand and Fog brought wide critical praise. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, including best lead actor for Ben Kingsley.The Life Before her Eyes stars Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood playing the same character of Diana. As a teenager (Wood) she is a free spirited girl who is caught in an unthinkable situation. When a boy at school goes on a shooting rampage she and her best friend become trapped in the bathroom with him. The story then flashes forward and we see Diana all grown up with a husband and a young daughter. She is continually haunted by the events of that day and the kind of person she was back then. She tries to protect and nurture her daughter onto a better path but she looks to be failing. Her husband is a professor at a local college and could be having and affair.The plot swaps back a fourth between the young Diana and her best friend Maureen, played by Ava Amurri and the older Diana and her family. It chronicles the building of young girls' friendship and how they have arrived to the point when they are facing down the gunman. While Maureen is religious and chaste, Diana is quite liberal and currently seeing an older man. They are complete opposite personalities, but as friends they were made for each other.The movie is beautifully shot and wonderfully acted. As far as casting goes even though Evan and Uma have similar looking faces, their body types are quite different. The time lines of events for Diana are also a bit sketchy. There is a big twist ending that is a quite debatable and could turn some people against this movie. It could also explain some of the inconsistencies. It deals with some pretty heavy issues to the point of being overstuffed, but it is a good experience overall. The DVD contains many special features including a director's commentary.

kiwisago I saw this film many months ago, but it is one that remains strong in my mind.I think it's Uma's best performance yet, but it's the themes of the film that are especially powerful. Life and death and responsibility for these.Like The Sixth Sense, it only becomes clear at the end what the film is really about, and after that the preceding events look quite different. It is a kind of extended dream poem centred on abortion. I remain pro-choice, but supporters of this view are justified in being concerned lately about the "new sophistication" of anti-choice, as exemplified in this very moving film. It certainly stirred me up more deeply than any other approach to the subject ever has.

aceautosales After watching the film yesterday, I woke in the middle of the night to further ponder what exactly the story was about. I was up for 2 hours and finally figured it out. This is what make this movie exceptional. It makes you think for yourself. The images were beautiful as well as having dual meaning. I am so moved (and disturbed) by the film, I needed to share my thoughts. Rarely do you see a film that is so intelligently written, directed and portrayed as this one. Every charier in this movie was the star. Uma Thurman's finest portrayal, followed by her character in "Kill Bill", proving again how a talented director can bring out the finest in any actor. Unbelievably vivid imagery. The feel of this movie will linger with me a very long time.

trepessa I thought this was one of the worst movies I have ever seen and I am a movie addict. It doesn't matter if it is meant to be artsy and intellectual, it had no continuity. Yes, some of the scenery was beautiful but with the constant jumps from teenage to adult years that plainly seemed like interruptions in the flow of the movie, it was just a jumble of scenes with pretty backgrounds and strange dialog. The storyline was so lacking that it makes one want to turn it off and forget about it. I figured out what was going on when the boy came into the bathroom. It wasn't that difficult. It is a strange premise that someone would see a supposed life flash before their eyes. It was boring and tedious and it wasn't something that a lot of people would like and if you cannot entertain a wide range of people in my estimation you have failed.I have seen far better movies reviewed below the level of what many are saying about this one and I am wondering if most movie watchers just plainly have bad taste. This movie is a stinker, don't watch it. If you want a thought provoking movie, watch White Oleanders.