Before I Fall (2017)
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A high school student finds herself trapped in a recurring time loop after a fatal car accident.
The story
Samantha "Sam" Kingston awakens on February 12, a day she plans to lose her virginity with her boyfriend Rob. During the day, she receives roses from both Rob and a former friend, Kent McFuller. After a party where her friends confront a social outcast named Juliet Sykes, Sam and her friends are involved in a car crash that appears to kill them. However, Sam wakes up in her room on the same day again. Realizing she is trapped in a time loop, she attempts to change her actions to avoid the tragedy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Samantha "Sam" Kingston awakens on February 12, known as Cupid's day. After a car crash during a party with her friends Lindsay, Ally, and Elody, Sam wakes up and realizes she is in a time loop. She discovers that Juliet Sykes, a girl they bullied, committed suicide by running in front of Lindsay's car on the original day. As the loop continues, Sam tries various ways to fix her life, including making amends with a girl she bullied, Anna Cartullo, and spending time with Kent McFuller. She eventually learns the truth about Lindsay's past bullying of Juliet. In her final loop, Sam resolves to be kind. She breaks up with Rob, tells her friends she loves them, and sends roses to Juliet and Kent. At the party, she kisses Kent. When Juliet attempts to run into traffic again, Sam pushes her out of the way and is hit by a truck. As she dies, Sam's ghost sees Juliet, who tells her she saved her, but Sam responds, "No. You saved me."
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ry Russo-Young
- Writers
- Maria Maggenti · screenplay; Gina Prince-Bythewood · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Zoey Deutch · Samantha Kingston; Halston Sage · Lindsay Edgecombe; Logan Miller · Kent McFuller; Kian Lawley · Rob Cokran; Elena Kampouris · Juliet Sykes; Diego Boneta · Mr. Daimler; Jennifer Beals · Mrs. Kingston, Samantha and Izzy's mother
- Genres
- teen drama; mystery drama
- Themes
- sacrifice; redemption; friendship
- Tone and mood
- lush; compelling
- Premise and plot tags
- time loop; high school; teen drama; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2010 novel of the same name by Lauren Oliver
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, holding a 64% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 58 on Metacritic. Audiences gave it a 'B' on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 64% · review count: 124; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 31; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 72%
- Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Awards · Choice Movie: Drama · 2017 · Nomination; Teen Choice Awards · Choice Movie: Drama Actress · 2017 · Nomination; Teen Choice Awards · Choice Movie: Drama Actor · 2017 · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for an April 7, 2017 release but was moved up to March 3.; The script was listed among the Black List of best unproduced screenplays in 2011.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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