Before I Fall

Before I Fall Information

Before I Fall is a 2017 American drama film directed by Ry Russo-Young and written by Maria Maggenti, based on the 2010 novel of same name by Lauren Oliver. The film stars Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Jennifer Beals, Diego Boneta and Elena Kampouris. Principal photography took place in Squamish and Vancouver, from November 16 to December 19, 2015.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017 and was theatrically released on March 3, 2017, by Open Road Films. The film has grossed $9 million worldwide against its $5 million budget.

Plot

The plot centers on Samantha Kingston (Deutch), a high school senior who finds that she may be living the last day of her life over and over until she gets it right. If you had only one day left on earth who would you kiss, who would you tell the truth to, who would you save? Amid that, she must untangle the mystery surrounding her death"?and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Cast

Zoey Deutch as Samantha Kingston
Erica Tremblay as Izzy Kingston
Halston Sage as Lindsay Edgecombe
Logan Miller as Kent McFuller
Cynthy Wu as Ally Harris
Kian Lawley as Rob Cokran
Jennifer Beals as Samantha's mother
Medalion Rahimi as Elody
Diego Boneta as Mr. Daimler
Elena Kampouris as Juliet Sykes
Liv Hewson as Anna Cartullo
Nicholas Lea as Dan Kingston
Claire Corlett as Devil Cupid
Roan Curtis as Marian Sykes

Production

On July 15, 2010, Fox 2000 Pictures bought the feature film rights to the teen novel Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver's debut, which was published that year. Maria Maggenti was hired to adapt the novel into a screenplay, while Jonathan Shestack was set to produce and Ginny Pennekamp to co-produce. The film is about a high school student who re-lives the same day until she gets everything in her life right. In 2011, the script was listed among the Black List of best unproduced screenplays. Ry Russo-Young was attached as the film's director. On September 15, 2015, it was announced that Zoey Deutch had been cast in the film's lead role, Samantha Kingston. Brian Robbins and Matthew Kaplan produced the film through their Awesomeness Films, along with Shestack, with production starting in late October 2015. On October 27, 2015, more cast was announced, consisting of Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Diego Boneta, and Elena Kampouris. Good Universe handled the film's international sales at the American Film Market. On November 3, 2015, Jennifer Beals joined the film's cast, to play Samantha's mother. On November 20, 2015, Liv Hewson was cast in the film to play Anna Cartullo. Adam Taylor composed the film's score.

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on November 16, 2015 in Squamish, British Columbia, where they filmed at Quest University. Shooting also took place in and around Vancouver. Filming ended on December 19, 2015.

Release

In May 2016, Open Road Films acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. Before I Fall had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017. The film was originally scheduled to be released on April 7, 2017, but was moved up to March 3.

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Before I Fall opened alongside The Shack and Logan, and was projected to gross around $4 million in its opening weekend. It ended up opening to $4.9 million, which Deadline.com noted, while on par with projections, was a disappointing figure. While it only carried a $5 million production cost, the estimated amount spent on advertising the film was around $20 million, meaning an opening of $13 million would have been needed to be deemed a success. In its second weekend the film grossed $3.1 million, dropping just 34% and again finishing 6th at the box office.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 67% based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Before I Falls familiar ingredients are enlivened by a fresh YA perspective and a strong performance from emerging star Zoey Deutch." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Abbey Bender of Uproxx gave the film a generally positive review and praised Ry Russo-Young's direction, noting: "Before I Fall ends disappointingly with a moment of sacrifice that feels too heavy handed. Along the way, though, there are plenty of scenes of compellingly lush nature and teenage girlhood."