I was not prepared for "My Life Without Me." I'm not sure if anyone can be prepared for it; while it may be a film that no one is ready for, it is also a film to which everyone should be exposed.
"My Life Without Me" tells the story of Ann (Sarah Polley, "The Sweet Hereafter"), a 23-year-old mother of two. Ann lives in a trailer in her mother's backyard with her children and husband (Scott Speedman, TV's "Felicity") and works nights as a janitor at a local university. Despite the rocky start her life took -- pregnant at 17 by the only man she has ever kissed and unable to finish her high school education -- her present life is fairly happy and smooth.
The story starts when, one day, Ann has a nausea attack so severe that she passes out on her kitchen floor. Her mother (Deborah Harry) rushes her to the hospital. Ann assumes that she's pregnant again, but her doctor has something else to tell her. She has tumors on both of her ovaries, which have gone undetected and spread to her liver and stomach. Because her cells are so young and reproducing at such a rapid pace, there is nothing that can be done. The doctor gives Ann two months to live.
Ann isn't sure how to react to this grave news. Because nothing can be done to save her, she makes the very serious decision of not informing her family of her impending death. She wants to save her husband the pain of hospital trips and knowledge of the inevitable and wants to preserve her children's memories of her as happy and healthy. Ann tells her family that she passed out because of anemia and that simple iron pills and vitamins will solve the problem.
The film poses the question, "what you would do if you were given two months to live?" Ann makes a list in her journal, with the cliched but all-too-real title "Things to Do Before I Die." The list includes telling her children she loves them several times a day, finding a new wife for her husband and making love to another man.
The remainder of the movie follows Ann's fulfillment of these goals. Let me tell you, I would love to meet anyone who can stand this without crying. I wept through most of the film, and with good reason. We are shown a woman who has already been dealt a rough hand by life. Now she has two months to achieve everything she deems important.
Some of the most poignant scenes take place with just Ann, alone in her car with a tape recorder. She is determined to make a birthday message for both of her daughters for every birthday until they turn 18. Listening to her doling out all of the life advice she can to two girls who are going to grow up without their mother is painful to watch. Ann also leaves tapes for her mother, her husband and her lover. These moments are so real and so moving that they will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
Sarah Polley's performance is remarkable. She plays Ann as a real human being, with both weaknesses and heroic qualities. Polley portrays Ann's love for her children, her kindness and her confusion with amazing realness.
The supporting actors should also be recognized. Deborah Harry does a great job as Ann's bitter but well-intentioned mother, and Scott Speedman pulls off the fairly minor role as Ann's husband well. Mark Ruffalo ("View From the Top") plays Ann's lover, doing a wonderful job as a lonely bachelor falling in love with a woman he hardly knows.
Go see this movie, which is guaranteed to move you to tears. Despite the heavy material, you will leave the theater feeling better about life. Everyone needs a good cry and shock to jolt them into realizing how wonderful life can really be.
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