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My Life Without Me Director: Isabel Croixet M 15+ Palace Nova, Now showing 
Probably because of its proximity to the US and Hollywood, Canada consistently creates 'small' films that really hit the mark to trump the dream machine. Here's another, executive produced by hot Spanish directing maestro Pedro Almodovar who has recently had hits of his own with 'All About My Mother' and 'Talk To Her', and knows a good thing when he sees it. The story here is based on the novel by Nancy Kincaid, 'Pretending the Bed Is A Raft', and co-written by director Isabel Croixet.Twenty three year old Anne (Sarah Polley of 'eXistenZ') is living with her partner, Don (Scott Speedman) and two young daughters in a caravan at the back of her mother's house on the outskirts of Vancouver. The couple who met long ago at Nirvana's last concert, remain optimistic about life for their family. When Anne is diagnosed with pervasive and inoperable cancer, she chooses not to disclose her condition to anyone. She resolves to make the most of her remaining weeks and also to make arrangements to ensure the best chance for the welfare of her daughters after she is gone. The jolt of the hopeless diagnosis awakens her to the small joys of life, particularly those of the natural world including those of rain, the cold and the earth beneath her feet. She seeks to experiment with the possibilities of love and discovers the value of personal relationships in general. She becomes disgusted by crummy, processed food, comes to see the diversion and hollowness of materialism, and understands the futility of obsessions and petty grudges. For the audience 'in the know' there is poignancy and a weight to the everyday life events that the film deals with, and the superb cast ensures the unfolding subtle drama remains taut and true. Anne is portrayed naturally in 'girl-next-door' fashion by Polley, while Mark Ruffalo plays Lee, the romantic lead, back to his 'You Can Count On Me' and 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind'-best, after his mis-cued role in Jane Campion's 'In The Cut'. Deborah Harry of punk-group Blondie plays Anne's long-suffering, joyless mother with great skill and sensitivity. The camera style of Jean-Claude Larrieu is simple, understated and beautifully intimate. Centred on the Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) classic, God Only Knows, the soundtrack music, sometimes sung with aching sweetness by Anne is a delight. Touching and moving from go to whoa (or should that be 'woe'), this sensual, peaceful film is liberating and uplifting rather than cloying or depressing, as the subject material might suggest. With death in its sights, and despite its rain-drenched aesthetic, it is very much about the joys offered by life, and about the possibilities of living well.  |
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