The Life Before This (1999)

• 62%
• 1999
• Action
• Crime
• Drama
• Thriller
• Jerry Ciccoritti
• Catherine O'Hara
• Joe Pantoliano
• Sarah Polley

In Toronto, two criminals enter a café one evening and open fire against each other, leaving behind an establishment full of casualties. The stories of the day of many of those that are in the café at the time or could have been are told. Nick and Kevin are the two criminals who have just pulled off a heist, they dealing with an issue pertaining to Nick's wife, Alice. Sheena, a bridal store clerk, has had a bad history in her choice of men. She is trying to decide whether to meet or stand up her blind date for the evening. Jake, a lawyer, has defrauded one of his clients of $200,000 in the pressure he has felt in providing for his materialist wife Gwen's wants. An incident results in Jake needing to pay that money back immediately or probably be caught in his illegal actions. He has to decide if he will go to the one person he knows could help, but who he has long put out of his life out of moral judgment. Brian, a pest control technician, is having a sad day as a few incidents bring up the memory of his now deceased young daughter, Ella. Connie, one of the café clerks, is second guessing her decision to move in with her boyfriend Justin, the move which just happens that day. Margaret, another one of the café clerks, is an aspiring actress, she who is trying to get out from the very dark shadow cast by her mother, Laura, a famous, successful and steadily working actress in her own right. Margaret has not yet told her mother about her career choice. Jessica, a proverbial high achieving "good" girl, has thoughts of wanting not always to be good but be "bad", more like the mysterious Phoebe, a girl new to their high school. M. Farrin, Jessica's elderly French teacher, the two who have a respectful teacher-student relationship, would be upset not only if he knew his star pupil's general thoughts, but the specific action she is contemplating in becoming Phoebe's friend. The events of the day and the decision each makes will decide who ends up in the café that night and potentially at the fatal end of a bullet.