Before I Change My Mind

There’s a lot to love in Before I Change My Mind – enough to recommend it overall – but also a considerable amount of teen movie cliches and narrative vagueness that imbalance the final whole.

With a clever premise and a boisterous musical parody, the teen dramedy Before I Change My Mind charms until it stumbles in its last act.

Capturing the look and vibe of 1980s nostalgia in all its cheesy glory, this Canadian coming-of-age drama also finds a fresh perspective to explore adolescent angst and teen sexuality.

A lot of effort has gone into production design, resulting in a film which looks really good for its budget, but the most important factor is Anderson’s eye for the sort of details which stand out to teenagers.

Before I Change My Mind is an exceptional coming of age film that is emotionally impactful without being saccharine or histrionic. The performances are quiet and the narrative is surprisingly gentle. This is an assured, rich, and powerful feature debut.

Unlike such visuals, the film’s freshness comes with considered angling that reconsiders classic tropes of school bullies, distant parents, and burgeoning self-discovery.

Anderson makes a fun and fabulous feature debut with Before I Change My Mind by offering an irreverently funny coming of age tale. What begins as a query of gender identity evolves into a richer study of identity itself.

The film's pièce de résistance is a wacky stage musical, Mary Magdalene: Video Star, a campy show about the life of Christ seen through the eyes of the biblical prostitute. It's hilarious.