4. Life Itself; movie review

LIFE ITSELF
Cert 15
117 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, violence

"It really made me think about the effect small decisions can have on the rest of our lives."
Blimey, and here I was expecting Mrs W to be sniffy about the romance (soppiness) which runs like a thick vein through Life Itself.
I should have known better. Mrs W has suffered much sadness in her family, having lost both parents and two sisters - all at a relatively young age.
Therefore, she had a sharp perspective on the suffering which headlines each of the chapters in Dan Fogelman's movie.
It stars Oscar Isaac a a desperate 30-something who is seen recounting his agony over his departed wife (Olivia Wilde) to his New York therapist (Annette Bening).
Theirs is a tumultuous story which leads into the next chapter about a rebellious young woman (Olivia Cooke) whose life has been beset by tragedy.

The story then moves to Spain where a lonely land owner (Antonio Banderas) hires a new manager (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) who in turn is married to a beautiful young woman (Laia Costa).
There is a fascinating dynamic between the three with jealousy and envy beating loud.
The link between them and the characters in America prompted the deep discussion about how the smallest decision (eg going to the same pub as me on a Sunday night 33 years ago) can affect so many lives.
Indeed, Mrs W's enthral over Life Itself even nudged her to make a comparison with a key aspect of It's A Wonderful Life.
At that point I had to stop her. I am allowing her to dictate the everyfilm rating for Fogelman's movie but he's got a way to go to reach the heights of Frank Capra.
Many critics have been less than flattering about Life Itself and it has done poorly at the box office elsewhere in the world but there are many plaudits from film-goers on Internet Movie Database.
We were left wondering whether one's own experiences will be key to whether it resonates or not.

Reasons to watch: Prompts deep thought about the effects of the smallest action
Reasons to avoid: Those who have not touched real-life tragedy may not get it

Laughs: None
Jumps: One
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? Oscar Isaac's role of a beleaguered man struggling with personal loss resonated with him because it was shortly after the death of his mother.

Final word - Oscar Issac: "I’m really proud of the places that I went and being able to sustain it, really dealing in a personal way with grief. It was insane that I even decided to do that, considering what I was in the middle of during that moment of my life.” Indiewire

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