My Life Without Me
Directed by Isabel Coixet.
When 23 year old Ann (Sarah Polley) discovers she only has a few months to live, she decides to tell no one. Instead, Ann writes a list of things she would like to do before she dies.
Ann and her loving husband Don (Scott Speedman) live with their two adorable daughters in a caravan in the yard of Ann’s mother’s house. They are working class, with few luxuries to talk of, struggling through, but they are still happy.
After we learn of her predicament, we join Ann as she moves through the items on her list. Along the way she meets and falls in love with the emotionally wounded Lee (Mark Ruffalo). She visits her tortured father (Alfred Molina) in jail. She tries to gain some understanding with her jaded mother, played impressively by Deborah Harry. The scenes of Ann talking with her shy doctor, the only other person who knows of her fate, are quite memorable and touching. Through Ann’s eyes we see the things that are important to her, and in a greater context, the things that should be important to all of us.
Isabel Coixet’s film is beautiful, well-paced and dream-like. It is filled with fine performances from the entire cast. Sarah Polley is exceptional as the thoughtful and intriguing young mother; Mark Ruffalo is fascinating as the enigmatic Lee. Filmed in and around Vancouver, the foggy grey skies complement the story perfectly.
My Life Without Me is not as depressing as the storyline may sound. Told without sentimentality, it is a moving and life-affirming film well worth a look.
****/5
Jonas Lloyd
