My Life Without Me (2003)

Director:

Isabel Coixet

Writers:

Isabel Coixet (writer)
Nanci Kincaid (book)

Release Date:

7 March 2003 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young woman conceals the fact of her terminal cancer to live her life with a passion she never had before.

Plot Keywords:

Cancer | Doctor | Death | Birthday | Drinking

Awards:

16 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Sarah Polley	...	Ann
Amanda Plummer	...	Laurie
Scott Speedman	...	Don
Leonor Watling	...	Ann, the Neighbor
Deborah Harry	...	Ann's Mother
Maria de Medeiros	...	The Hairdresser
Mark Ruffalo	...	Lee
Julian Richings	...	Dr. Thompson
Kenya Jo Kennedy	...	Patsy
Jessica Amlee	...	Penny
Esther García
Camille Martinez		(as Camille Martínez)
María Cami
Deanne Henry	...	Waitress
Gillian Barber	...	Nurse #1
Errin Clutton
Jerry Thompson
Morgan Brayton	...	Nurse #2
Sam Barnett
Lauren Diewold	...	Nurse #2 - Young
Neezor Elerezeli
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sonja Bennett	...	Sarah (uncredited)
Tyron Leitso	...	Guy in Bar (uncredited)
Alfred Molina	...	Ann's Father (uncredited)

Directed by
Isabel Coixet

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Isabel Coixet		writer
Nanci Kincaid		book "Pretending the Bed is a Raft"

Produced by
Agustín Almodóvar	....	executive producer
Pedro Almodóvar	....	executive producer
Esther García	....	producer
Ogden Gavanski	....	executive producer
Gordon McLennan	....	producer
Michel Ruben	....	associate producer
Jordi Torrent	....	line producer

Original Music by
Alfonso de Vilallonga

Cinematography by
Jean-Claude Larrieu

Film Editing by
Lisa Robison

Casting by
Heidi Levitt
Monika Mikkelsen

Production Design by
Carol Lavallee

Art Direction by
Shelley Bolton

Set Decoration by
Shelley Bolton

Costume Design by
Katia Stano

Makeup Department
Melanie Burke	....	hair stylist
Diana Davison	....	key makeup artist
Maria Gleeson	....	makeup swing

Production Management
Dan Schlanger	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gurjit Chohan	....	third assistant director
Debra Herst	....	second assistant director
Sandra Mayo	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Paul Brown	....	assistant set decorator
Tim Higgins	....	set dresser
Rubén Rivas	....	graphic designer
Craig Stokes	....	property master
Amy Wilding	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Biel Cabré	....	assistant sound editor
Manuel Corrales	....	foley artist
Viorel Ghiocel	....	boom operator
Patrick Ghislain	....	sound re-recording mixer
Albert Manera	....	sound editor
Albert Manera	....	sound supervisor
Iván Mayoral	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Albert Nieto	....	assistant sound editor
Fabiola Ordoyo	....	sound editor
Sebastian Salm	....	sound
Ricardo Viñas	....	dolby sound consultant

Special Effects by
Bill Mills	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Pedro Martínez	....	digital effects artist
José Rossi	....	digital effects artist: titles
Pablo Urrutia	....	digital effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Akester	....	still photographer
Jim Bach	....	video playback operator
Trevor Berry	....	best boy grip
Natasha Braier	....	director of photography: second unit (as Natasha Brier)
Pascal Pillot-Bruhat	....	gaffer
Thomas Ryan Pilon	....	key grip
Richard Porta	....	second assistant camera
Adrienne Richards	....	camera loader
Jeff Seeger	....	lamp operator
Randy Swanson	....	grip

Casting Department
Heike Brandstatter	....	casting: Canada
L.A. Hilts	....	extras casting (as Lesleyanne Hilts)
Coreen Mayrs	....	casting: Canada

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Judith Feller	....	truck costumer
Marie Hock	....	costumer
Patti Rempel	....	assistant costume designer
Roza Savvas	....	set costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Irene Blecua	....	assistant editor: Spain
Ascen Marchena	....	post-production assistant
Kristian Olsen	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ricky Arailza	....	musician: acoustic guitar
Emili Brugalla	....	musician: piano
Miguel Ángel Cordero	....	musician: double bass
Lucio Godoy	....	music producer
Farran James	....	musician: violin
Olvido Lanza	....	musician: violin
Manuel Martínez del Fresno	....	musician: cello
Chop Suey	....	composer: song "Humans Like You"
Montse Valle	....	musician: viola

Transportation Department
Frank Guadagno	....	driver: cast
Ben Liljedahl	....	transportation captain
Rico Rogers	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Barbara Chisholm	....	assistant production coordinator
Adela Donamaría	....	production secretary
Ashley Fester	....	production assistant
Covadonga R. Gamboa	....	production coordinator: Spain
Lola García	....	office manager
Jaye Gazeley	....	assistant location manager
Beatriz Gordo	....	assistant production accountant: Spain
Russ Hamilton	....	location manager (as Russ 'Moviegod' Hamilton)
John Knowlton	....	production assistant
Jane McKernan	....	production accountant
Peter Munro	....	location scout
David Rockwell	....	production accountant
Ana Sanz	....	secretary to producer
Paz Sufrategui	....	unit publicist
Denise Szabo	....	craft service
Denise Szabo	....	first aid
Abigail Tucker	....	production coordinator
Óscar Valero	....	production accountant: Spain
Anne Worrall	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• El Deseo S.A. (co-production)
• Milestone Entertainment (co-production)
• Antena 3 Televisión (in association with)
• Vía Digital (in association with)
• Alliance Atlantis Communications (in association with)
• Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC (produced with the participation of)
• Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) (produced with the participation of)
• Cavco Worldmark (produced with the participation of)
• Movie Network, The (in association with)
• Astral Media (in association with)
• Super Écran (in association with)
• Movie Central (in association with)
• Corus (in association with)
• Miss Wasabi (in association with)
• My Life Productions Inc.

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Odeon Films (2003) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Shochiku Company (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• TOBIS Film (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (video)
• ARP Sélection (France)
• Alfa Films (Argentina)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Shochiku Company (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Shôchiku Eiga
• Sony Pictures Classics (North America)
• Vanguard Cinema (2000) (USA) (all media)
• Vivarto (2007) (Poland) (all media)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language

Runtime:

106 min | Argentina:107 min

Country:

Spain | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:14 | Norway:A | UK:15 | Hong Kong:IIA | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | South Korea:15 | USA:R | Germany:6 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

El Deseo S.A.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Ann says that her birthday is in December. Later, she says she is an Aquarius. The astrological signs associated with December are Sagittarius and Capricorn. An Aquarius would have been born in late January or early February.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Ann:You don't know who or what you're praying to, but you pray. You don't even regret the life that you're not gonna have, because by then you'll be dead. And the dead don't feel anything. Not even regret.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 10 pelis (2011)

Soundtrack:

Que Emocion

A thoughtful and subtle film

Ann lives in a trailer with her considerate but not very thought-provoking husband and their two children. The trailer is very crowded and so is Anna's life. A mother at 17 Anna has never had any time to ponder about her life but she knows it might not be very fulfilling. When she finds out that she is terminally ill she has to face the choices she has made and that was made for her. She decides to make a list of all the things she wants do in the short time she has left, both big and small. This is where Mark Ruffalos character, a considerate and thought-provoking love-interest, makes an entrance.

This films moves slowly towards the inevitable end without ever becoming boring. The relationships between the characters are displayed by emotions and subtlety rather than words. The film has a very sad theme but is in many ways very hopeful. It shows that life can trap people down but also that every person has something special which can be used to change lives. I found this film to be warm, unsentimental, thoughtful, sad and uplifting. A bit like life itself.

If you liked this film as much as I did I can recommend Wilbur wants to kill himself and Before sunset.