While Wood plays to her type, Amurri does the opposite. After playing the wild child in movies like Saved!, Amurri plays a surprisingly convincing and fully realized “good girl.” She’s the perfect balance to Diana’s recklessness, but not in a stereotypical way. Playing the innocent one can often turn into a bland, one-sided character, but Amurri manages to keep Maureen grounded in reality. She’s the kind of friend anyone would be lucky to have.

The teenage Diana and Maureen spring to life thanks to the young actresses’ brilliant performances and I enjoyed their scenes together the most. Unfortunately, Thurman’s portrayal of the adult-Diana fails to carry the same weight. She doesn’t feel like a reformed rebel and she doesn’t retain any of Wood’s spark. I would have liked to have seen more indications that this was indeed supposed to be the same person.

As a sidenote, if you’re wondering why the credit sequence consists of up-close images of flowers and why the camera lingers on floral images in various scenes throughout, it may help to know that the working title of the film was originally In Bloom.

Those who like their movies straightforward will be frustrated, while those who like a good puzzle will be enthralled. I, for one, like a good puzzle.

Movie Grade: B+

Synopsis:

Oscar-nominee Uma Thurman plays a suburban wife and mother who begins to question her seemingly perfect life and perhaps her sanity on the 15th anniversary of a tragic high school shooting that took the life of her best friend. In flashbacks, Diana is a vibrant high schooler (played by Evan Rachel Wood of THIRTEEN and THE UPSIDE OF ANGER) who, with her shy best friend Maureen, plot typical teenage strategies, cutting class, fantasizing about boys and vow to leave their sleepy suburb at the first opportunity. The older Diana, however, is haunted by the increasingly strained relationship she had with Maureen as day of the school shooting approached. These memories disrupt the idyllic life she's now leading with her professor husband Paul and their young daughter Emma. As older Diana's life begins to unravel and younger Diana gets closer and closer to the fatal day, a deeper mystery slowly unravels.