Performance Review: ‘Before You Know It’
“Before You Know It” might best be described as a comedic drama. The film is Hannah Pearl Utt’s feature directorial debut, which she also co-wrote with Jen Tullock. Both women also played the leads in the film, and Utt describes their creative style in a Sundance interview with, “Jen and I discovered working together that the intersection of our Venn diagram for funny is pain, and the two are inextricably linked for us.”
This neatly summarizes the overarching feel of “Before You Know It,” in which Utt’s character Rachel, the younger sister in a small, dysfunctional family unit, struggles to keep everyone afloat. Her father owns a small theater where he is both playwright and actor, and her sister Jackie, played by Tullock, stars in the productions as well. Jackie and Rachel were told their mother died when they were young, but as the trailer reveals, the sisters discover that their mother is in fact alive and thriving as a soap opera actress. They spend the remainder of the film figuring out what this life-changing news means for them as individuals and as a family. Keep reading to find out how the performances of Tullock and Utt stood up against such an extraordinary premise.
Tullock plays an incredibly complex character with seeming ease. Though holding the advantage of having written the character, she still delivers a beautiful portrayal of Jackie, a role that a lesser actor could have twisted into a larger-than-life caricature. This is because Jackie is very flawed. She’s an irresponsible single parent to her own daughter and becomes jealous whenever attention is focused on someone else, especially on her sister.
Tullock brings to life a character who acts without thinking and seems to ruin everything she touches, whether it be a borrowed silk dress or a press photo shoot. The actress expertly weaves these negative parts of Jackie together with her big heart and transparent desire to be wanted and appreciated. Tullock’s dynamic, mercurial presence on-screen will have viewers constantly holding their breath to see what Jackie will do next. And her masterful performance will leave audiences eagerly anticipating her next project.
Utt gives a strong performance in the film, a fact made more impressive when considering she did so while juggling being in front and behind the camera. She subtly plays the exasperation Rachel feels about having to parent both her sister and father while handling the overwhelming responsibility of keeping the theater running by herself. Utt makes the choice that through all the frustrations, Rachel rarely raises her voice. That is, until a key point in the film, which makes its impact that much more potent. Utt has a raw on-screen presence that is poignantly relatable in quality. She has described the film as having “an almost brutal level of emotional reality to it,” and viewers who are working through their own personal challenges will find solidarity in Utt’s portrayal of Rachel.
The actress’s work is interesting to watch for many reasons, but one that stands out is her skill with allowing the character to figure out what she’s going to say. Viewers get to watch Rachel struggle to find the right words to handle highly excitable, unpredictable family members. Utt’s dexterity with this basic but often-forgotten tenet of acting is even more impressive considering that as the writer, Utt was very familiar with her character’s dialogue. But in a few scenes where Rachel delivers harsh truth, she looks down before giving it. Had the actress found her words higher on the fourth wall, viewers would’ve seen the turmoil that went into Rachel’s decision to say them. Overall, though, Utt gives viewers an incredible window into a strong, complex female character.
Utt and Tullock are supported by a strong cast, which includes names such as Judith Light and Mandy Patinkin, as well as Alec Baldwin in an entertaining cameo role. But it’s the two writers and leading ladies who carried the film. It’s not the dynamic duo’s first time collaborating, and based on the on-screen magic they created for this film, it’s hopefully not their last.
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