“Maybe for you there’s a tomorrow – maybe there are 1,000 – but for some of us, there’s only today.” Time travel, and the concept of reliving one defining moment over and over again ad nauseam, is something that’s been a fixture of the film world since Groundhog Day. That’s not to say Harold Ramis’ seminal comedy-drama was the first to dump its protagonist in a mind-bending time loop, but it’s certainly one of the more accomplished examples, and few movies have come close ever since.
And though it’s not strictly speaking apples to apples, Open Road Films and director Ry Russo-Young (Nobody Walks) are prepping Before I Fall for its premiere at this weekend’s Sundance Film Festival. It incorporates many of the same storytelling devices seen in Groundhog Day – the endless time loop, a protagonist in need of a life lesson – but instead favors teen drama over existential angst.
Vampire Academy and Everybody Wants Some!! breakout Zoey Deutch will take point as Samantha Kingston, a high schooler who seemingly has it all, with Lauren Oliver’s best-seller serving as inspiration. Also on board are Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Elena Kampouris, Cynthy Wu, Medalion Rahimi, Diego Boneta, and Jennifer Beals.
Open Road Films is set to stage the world premiere of Before I Fall at Sundance Film Festival this Saturday, January 21. A theatrical release is planned for March 3, when Ry Russo-Young’s time travel pic will be going up against Logan and, at least in the US, Danny Boyle’s T2: Trainspotting.
What if you had only one day to change absolutely everything? Samantha Kingston has everything: the perfect friends, the perfect guy, and a seemingly perfect future. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, Sam wakes up with no future at all. Trapped reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her life really was. As she begins to untangle the mystery of a life suddenly derailed, she must also unwind the secrets of the people closest to her, and discover the power of a single day to make a difference, not just in her own life, but in the lives of those around her–before she runs out of time for good.
