Before I Disappear
IFC Films | Release Date: November 28, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
47
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
8
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreNov 25, 2014
Ptacek, as she was in the short, makes a great foil. And the addition of Rossum and Perlman to the cast adds pathos and paranoia, guilt and menace. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnNov 11, 2014
Before I Disappear features several moments of genuine emotion in an otherwise underwhelming plot involving the main character coming out of his shell. It's a heartfelt journey, but we've seen it before, without the excess distractions. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineNick PriggeNov 24, 2014
Even at its most compelling, it remains inconsistent and superfluous, a lesson that sometimes a movie can feel more fully formed in 19 minutes rather than 90. Read full review
58
The PlaylistKimber MyersNov 27, 2014
Isn't a bad freshman effort, but it doesn't offer anything to set it apart from dozens of other indie dramedies. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloNov 25, 2014
The result is predictably, frustratingly bloated and meandering, even as the short’s charms remain largely intact. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghDec 4, 2014
There's a surface elegance that might play as depth in smaller doses, but at feature length, the stylistic flourishes seem to be covering for deficiencies rather than servicing the material. Read full review
50
The DissolveCharles BramescoNov 25, 2014
The fundamental predictability of Before I Disappear’s main plot is just one of the missteps that betray Christensen’s inexperience. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleDec 4, 2014
Because it's all shot to look like a South Korean noir, with umpteen slo-mo shots and stylistic noodlings to affect a kind of grimy urban anti-hero chic, Christensen effectively leeches the emotion from the central story. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen HoldenNov 28, 2014
Throughout the movie, you have the feeling of being dragged along on an impromptu journey by a filmmaker who is traveling without the benefit of a GPS device. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyNov 11, 2014
With nary a likable character in sight until the late arrival of some unearned emotion in the closing scenes, this is a posey, abrasive drama, though one that's stylishly made and acted with more conviction than the script merits. Read full review
40
VarietyJustin ChangNov 11, 2014
Piling on the misery-laden subplots in scene after angry, overamped scene, Before I Disappear is the sort of movie that can’t stop reminding you how cruel the world is and how messed up its people are, to the point where its bludgeoning cynicism feels no more authentic or lived-in than the glimmer of hope that suddenly breaks on the horizon. Read full review
30
Village VoiceViolet LuccaNov 18, 2014
What makes this minefield of sphincter-clenching sassy bons mots even harder to stomach is the uninspired photography, which impassionedly pleads for significance through use of slow motion, bokeh-effect streetlights, and close-ups. Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedNov 27, 2014
Mr. Christensen the director betrays Mr. Christensen the actor too many times to count, but it’s worth noting that his eclectic tastes in source music includes Beethoven’s “Fur Elise,” Bizet’s “Habanera” from Carmen, and Billie Holiday. Read full review
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