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Life in a Day

Life in a Day

TV movie199989 minMidcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Director
Eleanore Lindo
Starring
Michael A. Goorjian, Chandra West, Linda Kash, Wayne Best

A scientific experiment in rapid-cell growth goes awry when a lab assistant steals the developed serum and injects it into his pregnant girl friend. The result is a child that grows through adulthood and will die within days, if a cure cannot be found.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Life in a Day?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove does not list Life in a Day on any major US streaming service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Life in a Day?

Life in a Day earns 1 badge: Haunting.

Reception

Is Life in a Day worth watching?

Life in a Day's Midcredits score is the 38th percentile of all films, from 282 ratings across 3 sources. 48% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

38th percentile

Better received than 38% of films

34th percentile among Drama41st percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)27th
Approval (how many liked it)49th

54 /100

27th percentile of all films

23rd percentile among Drama29th percentile among 1990s

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.2 — solid but not unanimous.

Approval

How many liked it

48% liked it

49th percentile of all films

47th percentile among Drama52nd percentile among 1990s
48% rated it 7–1052% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

29th percentile

282 ratings across platforms

30th percentile among Drama21st percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 16% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

A predictable, low-budget TV movie that relies on a familiar sci-fi premise and character drama rather than spectacle.

Fans praised

  • strong child actor performances
  • well-written characters with credible motivations
  • engaging moral dilemmas despite predictable plot

Detractors panned

  • derivative premise not breaking new ground
  • slow start before momentum builds

What stands out

Characters70

central character well-written, credible actions

Acting65

child actors praised as impressive for TV movie; mixed reviews find acting indifferent

Atmosphere65

tragic foreboding and sense of inevitability

Plot and story60

predictable but straightforward story with moral dilemmas

Emotional impact60

quietly gripping, moving ending

Pacing55

starts slow then picks up

Effects and spectacle50

few effects, well-made for budget

Originality30

not new, derivative of Mary Shelley

Watch experience

What is Life in a Day like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Dark and unsettling: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want something dark that stays with you.

It leaves you haunted. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Dark and unsettling.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseMelancholicBittersweet
Heaviest: late
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Tender · 13% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its tragic material straight and earnestly, without irony or detachment.
The rideThe film maintains a steady tension building toward an inevitable tragic climax, with melancholy throughout.
StructureConventional linear storytelling with a clear beginning (experiment gone wrong), middle (search for a cure), and end (tragic resolution).

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Haunted.

The answer rests on this: Haunting · 14% of filmsBittersweet
Why it leaves you this wayThe tragic inevitability lingers, leaving a mix of sadness and a slight sense of fleeting beauty.
How it ends · evidence
Tragic ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).QuestMission
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10% (this title): Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% (this title) · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Quest: A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles. · Mission: Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).

10% of films fit this archetype

with Tragedy underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe story follows a scientist racing to find a cure for a girl who ages uncontrollably, driven by a quest to save her, with an underlying tragic inevitability.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfMortalitySurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% (this title) · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% (this title) · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% (this title) · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Survival

Mortality · 2% of filmsRomantic love · 15% of filmsSacrifice · 4% of films
Mourns its theme: Grieves its theme, or what has been lost of it.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on the girl's compressed lifespan and the scientist's moral struggle to save her, set against a burgeoning romance.
StanceThe film grieves the lost potential and brevity of the girl's life, treating the mortality theme with solemn regret.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanInstitutionalDomesticRealistic
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Schaun Tozer
SettingA Canadian city with university labs and corporate offices; vague period details of the late 1990s.
MusicLikely a small-scale orchestral score typical of made-for-TV movies, underscoring the tragedy.

Cast and crew

Who is in Life in a Day?

Cast

Michael A. Goorjian
as Dr. Peter Hamilton
Chandra West
as Jasmine
Linda Kash
as Charlotte 'Charlie' Tanzi
Wayne Best
as Detective Ed Carlisle
Timothy Webber
as Chief Max Reed
Zachary Bennett
as Mark Stratton
Gerard Plunkett
as Dr. Leo Sardis
Roberta Maxwell
as Claudia Jennings
Daylen Ryckman
as Jasmine (Newborn)
Nicole Rogowsky
as Jasmine (1 Yr)

Crew

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What are movies like Life in a Day?

The closest match to Life in a Day is Iris (2001); both are stories about carers and dependents.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

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What else shares a premise, people or place with Life in a Day?

989 other films share the rarest tag below, premise: creation runs amok. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.