Before I Die – Now Is Good (2012)

Directed by: Ol Parker | 103 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Dakota Fanning, Paddy Considine, Jeremy Irvine, Olivia Williams, Kaya Scodelario, Edgar Canham, Rakie Ayola, Patrick Baladi, Rose Leslie, Sarah Hadland, Joe Cole, Julia Ford, Susan Brown, Tom Kane, Franz Drameh

Coincidence exists. How else can it be explained that in ‘Voor ik die’ (‘Now Is Good’) (2012) there is almost the same scene as in the already similar Dutch youth drama ‘Eighth-groupers don’t cry’ (2012)? In ‘AGHN’ Akkie (Hanna Obbeek) suffering from leukemia climbs a tree at school camp, after which her classmate/friend Joep (Nils Verkooijen) takes her out. Also in Before I Die, based on the book by Jenny Downham, the main character, Tessa Scott (Dakota Fanning) seeks out the lonely height of a tree in the middle of an autumn forest. Just like Joep did with Akkie, Tessa’s neighbor/boyfriend Adam (Jeremy Irvine) also climbs up after her. Because of the theme, ‘cancer in a child’, there are more similarities between the two films, but ‘Before I die’ is very different.

To start with, Tessa is a bit older than Akkie. And where ‘AGHN’ is about the discovery of the disease in the main character and its treatment, sixteen-year-old Tessa already knows at the beginning of the film that she will not get better. She has therefore decided to stop the treatment, so that she can make the most of what life has to offer her. She has put her goals on a secret list. “Most of it is illegal anyway,” she confronts her father (Paddy Considine) with her plans in the middle of a live radio broadcast.

‘Before I die’ raises moral questions such as “can you be an insufferable bitch when you’re terminally ill who only does what she feels like?” Tessa doesn’t consider anyone except herself. She ignores her little brother Cal (Edgar Canham), is brutal to her mother (Olivia Williams) and especially clashes with her well-meaning, caring father. Her friendship with Zoey (Kaya Scodelario) is also put to the test. The first tear, or rather tears, that you will shed will therefore not be caused by the well-acting lead actress, but by the very strong Paddy Considine. Dakota Fannings Tessa knows how to arouse feelings of understanding, but the emotional bond with the viewer does not extend much further.

And so there is more in ‘Before I die’ that does not touch the audience. The subplot about the drastic decision Zoey must make feels forced. At first glance, Jeremy Irvine appears cast for his outward appearances and sadly, he is unable to prove otherwise. His character gets a lot of screen time, but apart from looking a bit sheepish, he doesn’t know how to put a lot of feeling into his role. But the infatuated teens will still get their money’s worth thanks to the blossoming, but doomed, romance between Tessa and Adam, which alternates between cliché (running horses, snow angel) and subtle (Tessa’s nightmare).

However, there are still plenty of positives left. You won’t get more ‘seize the day’ than the shocking fragment in which Tessa prepares for her first date with Adam, but is overtaken by her illness. The scenes where the dynamics in Tessa’s family come into play always feel sincere (especially one part at the end) and the scene where a nurse explains to Tessa what it’s like to die will leave no one indifferent. Brighton is beautifully portrayed (just a shame that the scene in Dover was clearly made with the help of a green screen). Dakota Fanning delivers a tour-de-force with her perfect English accent. The absolute highlight in the acting field, however, is formed by Paddy Considine, who, as an intensely sad, powerless father, had earned more time to deepen his character.

For fans of films such as ‘Ways to Live Forever’ (2010), ‘Oscar et la dame rose’ (2009) and the more famous ‘A Walk to Remember’ (2002) and ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ (2009), ‘Voor I die a hell of a hit. Audiences who are less into manipulated sadness can safely skip this film.