Another fascinating movie from SXSW I got to screen was Before I Disappear, one I wasn't sure I would enjoy but walked out of the room with a few tears streaming down my face, which never happens to me in cinema. Shawn Christensen's direction in this film was positively extraordinary.

From the get go we see our main character Richie surrounded by poor life decisions that keep dragging him further and further down the rabbit hole; unable to crawl out of his own personal horrors and drowning in mournful regret, he decides he's going to end it. That is until he gets the phone call that changes the tone of the movie completely.

A frantic phone call from his estranged sister has him picking up his niece from school and he had no idea why. He goes on an evening of half hallucinated, half sedated, adventures trying to juggle one bad situation while struggling with another. A battle between two bosses, both with whom he feels he owes loyalty; one begging for silence, the other for answers and neither an uncomplicated choice. All the while, he has an 11 year old girl, who is clearly raised to be prim and proper, completely oblivious to the underworld he's trolled, in tow witnessing his digression.

Paul Wesley unquestionably stepped out of his comfort zone and brightly shined in the spotlight as the young club owner and boss in this film. Although both he and Ron Pearlman had minimal roles, it was definitely memorable as you felt the hectic panic in his drugged state and actually sympathized with his situation.

This movie brings the uncomfortable truth to the surface, what it's like to battle with drug addiction, how it feels to suffer with loss and how some people cope with the choices... on the other side of the coin, how the family members tend to deal with these loved ones. I feel this movie did for drug addiction what Silver Linings Playbook did for people coping with being bipolar. It's ugly, it's messy but there are answers.... there is hope. .

Firstly, I came to this movie without having seen "Curfew". Several commentators have pointed out that that is important in the way you see this movie so I'll get that out of the way to start with. I checked out the user score (7.2 at time of writing) and the Meta score (47/100 at time of writing). A bit of a mismatch I thought and maybe it was down to the film being "upped" by users. (We all know it happens right? Reviewers who come out of nowhere and submit one review giving a film 10 / 10 and then disappear as quickly as they appeared. All's fair in love and marketing). Anyway, as a result I decided to take a chance on it but with some reservations at the back of my mind and not really expecting anything that would really get me. What followed was rare, the realisation that the users had nailed it and the critics had really come down way too hard on this movie for all the wrong reasons. "Underwhelming, inconsistent, superfluous, bloated, meandering, posey, abrasive, over amped" to mention a few of the words used. I really don't know what film they were watching. Shawn Christensen, the writer, director and star of this film has already picked up an Oscar in 2013 for best Live Action Short but this film is dismissed as "not a bad freshman effort"? Ignore the critics and take a chance on this one. If you go in with an open mind and let yourself go with it's unusual flow you might really enjoy it. Finally, the cast were uniformly good. Fatima Ptacek, who I hadn't come across before, was brilliant, certainly one to watch, and Ron Perlman was Ron Perlman, nobody does that better than him.

100% spoiler-free.

I watched the short-film Curfew (2012) first, which is on YT, and then I watched this full-length film of 2014.

I think that this is a beautiful story that shows themes such as life, death, love, pain, hopelessness, hope, loneliness, depression, emptiness, discovering a reason to live for, and second chances.

The story felt so real it must be based on real events, even though it is never claimed it is based on a true story, I believe it must be. Nobody comes up with such a ridiculously plausible plot out of imagination. The ending was good too. Overall, a meaningful story that left me thinking and wondering about life, and may leave you doing the same.

Shawn Christensen - he wrote the story, directed the film, and was one of the two protagonists. I think he wrote a fine story, and directed it well, and his acting of a 'terminally' hopeless man was believable enough and good enough to carry the story.

Fátima Ptacek - she did a great job; enjoyable to watch. Great acting. If Shawn was the darkness, then she was the light of this film.

Emmy Rossum - I thought she did a great job too, especially towards the end, that scene she absolutely nailed it.

Supporting cast - they did fine. Ron Perlman (from Hellboy) and Paul Wesley (from Vampire Diaries) were in this film; I wonder how they were afforded to be in it. Their acting was fine.

Producer Damon Russell and Cinematographer Daniel Katz, and everyone else who helped make this beautiful film - thanks.

Movie theme song - "Sophia So Far" by Goodnight Radio (2013). I am so thankful the movie released this full version of the song. It is first played during a really nice scene in the movie and also at the end of the film. This song instantly makes one think about the film.

Conclusion: I think this is a beautiful story with multiple underlying themes about things like hope, love, life, death, and second chances. Watched it 2x so far, will surely watch it again in the future. It is a good film and it is worth a watch and recommending.

9/10