Before
I Disappear (2014/MPI/IFC Films DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Film: C-
Before
I Disappear is a sometimes interesting first film by director
Shawn Christensen (who also stars) and is based off his Oscar-winning
short named Curfew. The film has some cool set pieces in New
York but ultimately feel disconnected as we quickly realize that
sometimes not all short films should be features. The plot feels
stretched out and there's a familiar sense of 'been there done that.'
As
his life hits rock bottom, 20-something Richie (Shawn Christensen)
decides to end it all-only to have his half-hearted suicide attempt
interrupted by an urgent request from his sister (Emmy Rossum) to
babysit her precocious daughter (Fatima Ptacek). So begins a madcap
tour of Manhattan after dark, as uncle and niece find unexpected
bonds in the unlikeliest of places.
The
film stars Emmy Rossum, Ron Perlman, Paul Wesley, Richard Schiff,
Stephanie Kurtzuba, Victor Cruz, and Joseph Perrino. The film is
kind of your usual pairing of two unlikely characters that couldn't
be more opposites learning from one enough through life experiences.
By the time the film was over, I hoped every character would
disappear.
Presented
in standard definition with a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer
and a lossy, English Dolby Digital 5.1 track, the film looks good on
DVD but not as good as a Blu-ray would. Despite flashy box art, the
only extra is a trailer.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
