2018 | USA | 98 min
Stage manager Rachel Gurner still lives in her childhood apartment—along with her off-kilter actress sister, Jackie; eccentric playwright father Mel; and deadpan preteen niece Dodge—above the tiny theatre they own and operate. Level-headed and turtleneck-wearing Rachel is the only thing standing between her family and utter chaos. Then, in the wake of a sudden family tragedy, Rachel and Jackie learn their presumed-deceased mother is actually alive and thriving as a soap-opera star. Now the sisters’ already-precarious balance turns upside down, and Rachel must figure out how to liberate herself from this surreal imbroglio. Co-writer/director/star Hannah
Pearl Utt is a triple threat with an impeccable sense of timing and a flair for juxtaposing unpredictable elements. Just as pragmatic Rachel and off-the-wall Jackie seem to hail from different planets while inhabiting the same universe, so too do the film’s over-the-top moments and characters coexist alongside subtle, grounded ones. Equal part madcap comedy, adult coming-of-age story, and poignant drama, Before You Know It gleefully defies categorization, and that is its genius.
Credits
Director
Hannah Pearl Utt
Screenwriters
Hannah Pearl Utt
Principal Cast
Hannah Pearl Utt
Jen Tullock
Judith Light
Mandy Patinkin
Mike Colter
Alec Baldwin
FESTIVALS
2019: Sundance (World
Premiere)