My life without me

Movie
German title	My life without me
Original title	My Life Without Me
Country of production	Spain , Canada
original language	English
Publishing year	2003
length	102 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6 ; JMK 10
Rod
Director	Isabel Coixet
script	Isabel Coixet
production	Esther García Rodríguez , ; Gordon McLennan
music	Alfonso De Vilallonga
camera	Jean-Claude Larrieu
cut	Lisa Jane Robison
occupation
	Sarah Polley : Ann; Amanda Plummer : Laurie; Scott Speedman : Don; Leonor Watling : Ann, the neighbor; Deborah Harry : Ann's mother; Maria de Medeiros : hairdresser; Mark Ruffalo : Lee; Julian Richings : Dr. Thompson; Alfred Molina : Ann's father;
chronology
← Predecessor ; Box 507	Successor → ; The sea in me

My life without me (original title My Life without me ) is a Spanish-Canadian feature film about how humans deal with death. Directed by Isabel Coixet . The alternative Spanish title is Mi vida sin mí .

action

23-year-old Ann lives with her husband and two young daughters in a trailer in their mother's garden. She had her first child at 17, dropped out of school and works as a night cleaning lady at the university. Her life changes suddenly when she learns that she has ovarian cancer and only has 2 to 3 months to live. She refuses treatment and chooses not to tell anyone that she is about to die, not even her family; apparently she continues her life as before. She sits down in a cafe and makes a list of things she would like to do before she dies. In addition to seemingly mundane everyday things such as changing her hairstyle, she would like to have sex with another man for the first time, as her husband Don is her first and only husband. And she wishes someone would fall in love with her. Likewise, she regulates the time after her death: She is looking for a new wife for her husband and discusses tapes for the birthdays of her two little daughters up to their 18th year.

Reviews

“Despite the challenging topic, not a melodrama, but a portrait of a woman who does not lose her courage to face life in a hopeless situation and places the anticipated grief of her surroundings above her own despair. A serious, emotional film that ultimately asks questions about the fundamentals of life. "

- Lexicon of international film

"Belongs to those rare films that move you deeply without anything huge happening on the screen."

- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

"Tragic, comforting and not a trace pathetic."

- Cinema

"The tender story of a quiet goodbye that gives courage - a plea for life."

- Dirk Jaspers Film Lexicon

“The film is an insensitive, superficial look at the imminent death of an extraordinarily unsympathetic main character, whose most noticeable trait is immersion in oneself. The film lacks any depth and complexity, such as can be found in The Barbarian Invasions , which deals with similar topics. Coixet's film is rambling, slow and frustratingly simplistic in terms of how an individual deals with approaching death. "

- James Berardinelli

Awards (selection)

Prize of the Gilde Deutscher Filmkunsttheater at the Berlinale 2003
Nominated for the Goya 2004
In 2004 Sarah Polley won a Genie Award for Best Actress.

Web links

Official website (requires Flash)
My Life Without Me in the Internet Movie Database (English)
My Life Without Me at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Description at arte.tv

Individual evidence

↑ My life without me. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
^ Cinema
↑ My Life Without Me: A Film Review by James Berardinelli : The film, from director Isabel Coixet, is an unsubtle, superficial look at the impending death of a singularly unappealing lead character whose primary personality trait is self-absorption. The movie lacks any of the depth and complexity of The Barbarian Invasions (due for release in November), a motion picture that addresses many of the same issues. Coixet's film is rambling, slow, and frustratingly simplistic in its view of how a personal approaches a death sentence.

[1] My life without me. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .

[2] Cinema

[3] My Life Without Me: A Film Review by James Berardinelli : The film, from director Isabel Coixet, is an unsubtle, superficial look at the impending death of a singularly unappealing lead character whose primary personality trait is self-absorption. The movie lacks any of the depth and complexity of The Barbarian Invasions (due for release in November), a motion picture that addresses many of the same issues. Coixet's film is rambling, slow, and frustratingly simplistic in its view of how a personal approaches a death sentence.