Prolonged DMT trip!

Rating: 8/10 (18 September 2014)

"They say your whole life flashes in front of your eyes just before you die..." or so they say. This quote it is an actual quote from my feature film "11" which seems so fitting to the new romantic drama "If I Stay". It has been proved scientifically that in the moment of tragic death our pineal gland produces a psychedelic compound called DMT (Dimethyltryptamine). The way the mystics explain this is that DMT allow us a last psychedelic trip that eases our transition to the next world, if you believe in life after death that is. This brings closure to the soul which is then able to move on to an afterlife without any attachments. To a larger sense this is what "If I Stay" is all about, a prolonged DMT trip.
"Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Jamie Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate."
The set up is straight forward, she is a classical cello player, he is a rockstar with abandonment issues and yet there is an attraction there that is powerful enough to concur death in someway. There is a sweetness about this film that creates sense of nostalgia in the viewer revisiting in our memory the people we've lost to a sickness or other type trauma. This type of empathy is absolutely necessary to fully be able to enjoy this film. Those of you who do not like to go inwards and examine those feeling might leave the cinema with bitter grim on the face. They say how can you know true joy if you've never experience true sorrow. As the main character is stuck in coma she revisits all the important moments in her life that shaped who she is. Should she come back to life knowing that possibly she will be an orphan or should she go into the gentle night. I don't think that by the end of this film there was a dry eye in the screening room. Big credit goes to the actors delivering very believable performances. Chloë Grace Moretz seems to be on a roll. After "Kick-Ass" and remake of "Carrie" she really is raising fast on the Hollywood star leader. She delivers very sympathetic and full of depth performance that might get stuck in you head for a while after watching. Mireille Enos in a supporting role as her mother brings messiness and punk rocker demeanor in to otherwise soulful performance. Jamie Blackley playing Adam showcases his voice a young rockstar charisma with ease. Other members of the supporting cast like Stacy Keach (Gramps) and Liana Liberato (Kim) as well as Joshua Leonard who plays the father who sacrifices his dream of being rockstar so that his little girl can get the cello she uses to become a skilled musician. All the credit should not go only to the cast but should be shared with the director R.J. Cutler who in fact before this film had mostly documentary experience. He was able to create a safe environment for the actors to truly share themselves with the audience. "If I Stay" is recommended to the audience who is not afraid to confront their sense of loss and to some extent pain because this is what this movie all about.
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