Life will surprise you in this unexpected twist of a tale that follows the story of one couple from college romance to birth of first child, but its even more vast than that as that couple is connected to another family in another country across the ocean in just a matter of seconds.
LIfe Itself combines elements of The Disaster Artist in a storytelling method told in various points of view but always by one voice, that of a young girl whom will be surprised to learn who that girl is as the story unfolds. Dan Fogelman, who is most known for directing the his hit TV series, This Is Us, uses the same timeline to tell the stories of two families beginning with that of Will and Abby who fall in love and through a twist of events end up leaving an orphan child, Dylan to grow up under the care of Will’s parents in New York City. Fogelman uses chapters to explain this complex story which is an intriguing concept as it keeps the audiences attention as they attempt to figure out how the Gonzalez family in Europe could possibly be connected to a white couple in NYC. At the same time, it mirrors the same fact that these two families have a child burdened with the sudden death of a woman hit by a bus, though how they are connected surprises even the most inept film buff.
Lastly, Fogelman opens the film inside a film concept, making you see that the whole idea of the movie is part of a larger work of art, which one will only figure out as the film plays out. It’s an idea that spans multigenerationally and the use of chapters, breaks up the story so that the reader can take a step back and understand every character and how they are important to the larger part of the story.
The film, Life Itself, stars several big name actors including Oscar Issac, who one would remember most from the latest Star Wars saga as Poe Dameron. In this romantic drama, one sees Issac in his most dramatic role yet as he must play a grief stricken man who must come to turns with the sudden death of his wife, Abby (Olivia Wilde). Ultimately we see a shift in a young man who is deeply in love with a girl who must handle depression and distraught when she is taken from him so suddenly. Issac does an exceptional job displaying that type of emotion in what is supposed to be only a six month time frame as his actions elevate with time to that of someone who doesn’t know how to cope.
Additionally the film also stars, Antonio Banderas in a somewhat of an interesting role as he takes in the family of his nephew, Javier (Sergio Peris- Mencheta) after his son Rodrigo witnesses the death of a young woman, hit by a bus in New York City, that ends up traumatizing him to the place of needing counseling that only Bandera’s character can provide for financially. It’s a heart breaking tale of the family that ends up having a happy ending when Rodrigo enrolls in a New York university where through a course of events, he ends up meeting and falling in love with a young girl, Dylan with a similar past.
Life Itself also follows that of another movie from the 2000’s, Crash, which shows how various individuals in Los Angeles are connected in mysterious ways, but it adds an additional element, that of distance and time to show how one event that happens can affect so many people on a multigenerational platform.
Life itself is a movie that all ages can enjoy, though it does contain some profanity that may not be suitable for young children. Ultimately it is a movie that will surprise you and keep you wondering until the last scene as the ending will have you wondering, where did that come from and what will happen next all in the same course of events.
The film came out in theaters September 21 and is currently playing in a theater near you.