Life Itself | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I went into this film completely blind. All I knew was that it was a 'Sky Cinema Original', which meant that it came on the Sky 'Premiere' channel on the same day that it was supposed to be released in the cinema, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to see it on the day that it came out (Friday 4th). And I have to say, I'm really glad I did that.

I think this film works best if you don't know too much about it, so I'm not going to say much here, but it's about the way that one single event can cause a ripple effect that can change lives around the world without even knowing it.

I thought this film was amazing.

First of all, the opening. It's a story written within a story that immediately pulls you in. I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't expecting it to begin that way. It's one of the most original beginnings to a film that I've seen in a while.

The film is filled with heartwarming interactions, written in such a way that they evoke different feelings than the words suggest. For example, a tragic story told in a deadpan way by a certain protagonist makes even the saddest of events feel like something funny.

Speaking of the dialogue, it kind of felt like you could imagine this entire movie just by reading the script. But it's when you really listen to what they're saying that the words hit you like a punch in the gut.

There was an extremely clever recurring theme of the 'unreliable narrator'. Being an ex-English Lit student, the unreliable narrator is something that I've had to think about a lot in my life, both when reading and when watching films, and I think that it just made this film all the more special. In many films, who's telling the story doesn't matter as long as the story is being told. But with this one, the narrative voice is so important, and each different voice completely changes the story.
And in the same way, when that narrative voice changes, and different characters are introduced, you feel a sense of uncertainty and loss

I know that this film got a lot of criticism from critics, and while I don't understand it, it has made me think that maybe this is a marmite kind of film. Because the people who hated it really hated it, and I loved it immensely. But as I said, it would be best to see it without having any previous ideas in your head (which probably means that you should see it before reading this review!) but if this review makes other people go and see it, then I'd be happy with that.

Overall, it's a thought-provoking, innovative story of love, family, heartbreak and loss that will keep your attention long after you finish watching it.

8.5/10

Lou