Before I Fall a mature teen film
Zoey Deutch hopes Before I Fall comes across as more than just another teen movie.
“When I hear somebody say it’s Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls it (indicates) to me that a hybrid is the closest version of it,” says Deutch, promoting the film with director Ry Russo-Young.
“I think people want a quick summary,” she says, “so I take it as a compliment.”
Before I Fall is far from a comedy, however. In the movie, based on the Lauren Oliver young adult novel, Deutch plays Samantha ‘Sam’ Kingston, who leads a charmed high school life.
Sam’s part of the cool crowd, has a cute boyfriend and joins in when her friends let others know where they stand, in a Mean Girls way.
All that comes to an end when Sam’s forced to relive the last day of her life for a week. The situation compels her to reassess the present and future, similar to the Groundhog Day time-loop device.
“This was an exciting challenge but definitely daunting,” Deutch says of portraying Sam. “And I felt very grateful when I met (Russo-Young) and realized we were on the same page and that we had the same process in terms of work ethic and artistic opinions.”
In other words, Deutch was the chosen one for the part. The 22-year-old daughter of Back to the Future actress Lea Thompson and Hollywood director Howard Deutch earned the status. She established herself with roles in Everybody Wants Some!!, Dirty Grandpa and Vampire Academy.
The Before I Fall bonus was that Deutch and Russo-Young connected right away. Certainly, their rapport would be key on set.
The film shoot was a quick month in and around Vancouver between November and December of 2015, so time constraints were always a concern.
“And it’s not an easy part,” says Russo-Young. “Sam is changing throughout the course of the film, and Zoey had to make the transition in those days very quickly.”
Mostly, the actress trusted her director to monitor the exercise during the long days and nights of filming. “We had to make sure the emotional arcs were clear on each day,” Deutch says. “Keeping the audience engaged was the main concern, and Ry did it beautifully.”
Sundance Film Festival audiences seem to agree. The movie had its première there in January to a positive response from filmgoers and critics.
The reaction was a relief to Deutch and Russo-Young who pushed the boundaries of the teen genre into a more demanding territory.
“We wanted to dignify the teenage experience,” the filmmaker says. “Many teen movies seem to be brightly coloured and have a pop sensibility, but being a teenager can be a dark and anxious time.”
Still, there is an undeniable constructive Before I Fall resolution.
“The darkness and the angst become a celebration of life that’s something I’m very pleased with,” Deutch says.
Many teen movies seem to be brightly coloured and have a pop sensibility, but being a teenager can be a dark and anxious time.