The Life Before This
Directed byJerry Ciccoritti
Written bySemi Chellas
Produced byIlana Frank
StarringCatherine O'Hara
Joe Pantoliano
Sarah Polley
Stephen Rea
CinematographyNorayr Kasper
Edited byNick Rotundo
George Roulston
Music byRon Sures
Distributed byAlliance Atlantis
Release date
  • September 15, 1999 (1999-09-15) (TIFF)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

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

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

Films directed by Jerry Ciccoritti
Categories