Arts & Culture
Groundhog Day for Mean Girls: ‘Before I Fall’ and the Cost of Redemption
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Samantha Kingston is forced to relive the same day repeatedly, a tortuous punishment that ultimately compels her to confront the errors of her ways. Ry Russo-Young’s Before I Fall centers on a familiar trope: A seemingly perfect girl with a perfect life is faced with an imperfect future that forces her to reconsider her choices. Zoey Deutch’s portrayal of Samantha adds depth to this conventional setup, as she embarks on a journey of redemption — one that, in an unsettling twist, leaves viewers in a sense of unresolved limbo, mirroring Samantha’s own experience. When I started this young adult thriller adaptation of the novel Before I Fall, I anticipated a typical teen time-loop movie in the vein of Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day. In many respects, I wasn’t wrong: The film leans into overdone clichés, delivering a straightforward message against bullying.