The Life Before This

1999 Canadian film
  • September 15, 1999 (1999-09-15) (TIFF)
Running time
92 minutesCountryCanadaLanguageEnglish

The Life Before This is a 1999 Canadian drama film directed by Jerry Ciccoritti.[1] It begins with a massacre perpetrated in a coffee shop by two gunmen, and then uses flashbacks to show how each of the people present found themselves in the shop on that day.[2]

The film was inspired by the Just Desserts shooting of 1994.[3]

The film premiered at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]

Cast

  • Catherine O'Hara as Sheena
  • Joe Pantoliano as Jake MacLean
  • Sarah Polley as Connie
  • Stephen Rea as Brian
  • Bernard Behrens as Monsieur Farrin
  • Martha Burns as Gwen MacLean
  • Fab Filippo as Michael
  • Emily Hampshire as Margaret
  • David Hewlett as Nick
  • Leslie Hope as Alice
  • Joel S. Keller as Kevin
  • Dan Lett as Sam
  • Jennifer Dale as Laura Lorrie

Response

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Peter Howell of the Toronto Star wrote that the film had a solid cast, but that "in seeking to make an Altmanesque story about the perfidy of fate surrounding the events leading to a cafe massacre, the movie follows dull characters too far and interesting ones not far enough."[5]

Deirdre Dolan of the National Post wrote that the initial shooting scene was stiffly acted and meaningfully paced, leading her to fear that she was about to watch "another self-important, amateur film", but opined that the film became more engaging once it shifted to explore the various decisions and choices that had led everybody to the café: "That we know their fates from the beginning only adds a layer of tension and meaning, an effect reminiscent of Robert Altman and good television."[6] Conversely, Marc Horton of the Edmonton Journal wrote that beginning the film with the shooting scene robbed it of any suspense.[7]

Catherine O'Hara won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 20th Genie Awards.[8]

References

  1. ^ Gerald Pratley, A Century of Canadian Cinema. Lynx Images, 2003. ISBN 1-894073-21-5. p. 125.
  2. ^ "'The Life Before This' looks at chance and fate". Cambridge Times, April 25, 2000.
  3. ^ Brent Ledger, "Ready for his three weeks at the Carlton: Gerry Ciccoritti's film opened yesterday and will probably be seen by far fewer people than have watched his TV work". National Post, November 27, 1999.
  4. ^ Finnbar O'Reilly, "The Five Senses grabs a film festival top spot: The Toronto film festival's Canadian series explores themes ranging from a child's abduction to adolescence". National Post, July 28, 1999.
  5. ^ Peter Howell, "The gang's all here". Toronto Star, November 26, 1999.
  6. ^ Deirdre Dolan, "A gripping 12 hours in Toronto". National Post, September 15, 1999.
  7. ^ Marc Horton, "Film, much like life itself, as fragile as a house of cards: A tad too heavy on cliches and light on suspense to work". Edmonton Journal, April 4, 2000.
  8. ^ John McKay, "Genies a bright spot for Sunshine". Kingston Whig-Standard, January 31, 2000.

External links

  • The Life Before This at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
Films directed by Jerry Ciccoritti
  • Paris, France (1993)
  • Net Worth (1995)
  • Boy Meets Girl (1998)
  • The Life Before This (1999)
  • Trudeau (2002)
  • Blood (2004)
  • Lives of the Saints (2004)
  • Shania: A Life in Eight Albums (2005)
  • Dragon Boys (2007)
  • Victor (2008)
  • Wisegal (2008)
  • Lie Exposed (2019)