Sunday, July 5, 2015

Movie Review: Everything Before Us


Everything Before Us follows a small group of people as they navigate a dating world that is nothing like the one we know. This alternate world has your dating history evaluated like your credit history, with a score being attached. 


One's EI score is huge in this film, as it has an effect on most aspects of life. Clubs are segregated by scores, and jobs/loans can be lost over a low score. It's a fascinating, yet disturbing view of what the world can be like when something so personal is controlled by an organization. The DEI (Department of Emotional Integrity) carefully regulates relationships, with people having to register new relationships or terminate ones that are no longer working. Reports are filed, and scores are assigned. These scores reflect who ultimately is seen as being at fault in the relationship's demise. 

I liked the two completely different situations presented in this movie. One couple (Seth and Haley) is young and idealistic, while another (Ben and Sara) has been broken up for over a year. The latter is forced to meet again when Ben needs conflicting termination reports straightened out for him to get a job. 

The actors are engaging and I felt they did a great job of selling their different situations. In Sara and Ben, I felt the pain of a love gone wrong and the awkwardness of trying to deal with the fallout. With Ben and Haley, I was sold on their naive viewpoints and the sometimes hard road they travel as they juggle their new freedom in college with the responsibility of a long-distance relationship. There were several moments that made me smile and I thought the dialogue was well-done. It's not a flashy type of movie with special effects (although there are some lovely background shots), but it's a satisfying film if you are a character-driven person like me.


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