The Life Before Her Eyes

Under the direction of Vadim Perelman, the film plays like a drama tinged with mystery, maybe even the macabre. The nuns in their habits at Diana's daughter's school seem otherwordly; the leaves on the trees seem strangely crisp-edged. Suspenseful and at times morbid, the tone serves the story well enough, teasing out answers to most viewers' questions until pretty much the last minute.

But Perelman seems a little too enamored with imagery; when so much is made portentous, the impact, when you finally figure out what's happening, is actually muted. The flashbacks seem contrived; it would have been better to have allowed the story to unfurl as it happened. And just what is he trying to say with the surprise twist in the end? But there's no stopping Wood, who plays troubled teenage Diana like the expert she's become. Amurri acquits herself nicely as well, doing well with a role that could easily have been forgettable. And Thurman? She makes a commendable effort, but in the end, the film's simply too muddled to be appreciated fully.