Why do film makers insist in presenting their stories in such unrealistic ways? The subject of this movie, by Catalan director Isabel Coixet, and based on a story by Nanci Kincaid, is about a romantic side of dying. Ms. Coixet needs a dose of reality, or maybe she needs to visit a hospital to see what really goes on.
If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading here.
The idea of dying young, and beautiful, when suffering a terminal disease, has been done before. "Love Story" comes to mind, with a beautiful Ali McGraw never changing one iota, so the adoring public can have a good cry, but not be grossed out by watching the heroine going through hell. Alas, nothing like that happens in life.
The film is not unpleasant to watch, thanks to the luminous Sarah Polley, who is at the center of the story. Ann seems to be down to earth. Her relationship with her own mother is strained, at best. Her father is in jail for reasons that are not revealed. Her marriage to the boy next-door type, seems to be fine, but obviously it is not.
When informed of her short time to live, Ann, goes numb, but she decides to do things differently. She suddenly takes a good look at herself. She goes shopping, inviting friends for dinner, getting into an affair with a dreamy hunk and dictating her memoirs so that her daughters will have an idea why she did things her own way.
The problem with the script is that it is false. Not having read the book, one can't make any comparison, but probably the screen play was modified for the film box office appeal, or because Pedro Almodovar, whose company is backing the movie, told Ms. Coixet to lighten it. There are inconsistencies with the way the story plays.
Going back to Almodovar, we have Leonor Watling, and Pedro's latest favorite muse, as the next door neighbor. In a sequence that is designed to have to make the public cry, this other Ann, proceeds to tell her neighbor about her experience with Siamese twins in the hospital where she is a nurse. One was a boy and the other one was a girl and she watched the infants die! Well, hello, Ms. Coixet and Ms. Kincaid, since when Siamese twins have different sexes? That's a first one for the medical books.
While the film is not overtly weepy, it is not dealing with a full deck. Watch it at your own risk.
If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading here.
The idea of dying young, and beautiful, when suffering a terminal disease, has been done before. "Love Story" comes to mind, with a beautiful Ali McGraw never changing one iota, so the adoring public can have a good cry, but not be grossed out by watching the heroine going through hell. Alas, nothing like that happens in life.
The film is not unpleasant to watch, thanks to the luminous Sarah Polley, who is at the center of the story. Ann seems to be down to earth. Her relationship with her own mother is strained, at best. Her father is in jail for reasons that are not revealed. Her marriage to the boy next-door type, seems to be fine, but obviously it is not.
When informed of her short time to live, Ann, goes numb, but she decides to do things differently. She suddenly takes a good look at herself. She goes shopping, inviting friends for dinner, getting into an affair with a dreamy hunk and dictating her memoirs so that her daughters will have an idea why she did things her own way.
The problem with the script is that it is false. Not having read the book, one can't make any comparison, but probably the screen play was modified for the film box office appeal, or because Pedro Almodovar, whose company is backing the movie, told Ms. Coixet to lighten it. There are inconsistencies with the way the story plays.
Going back to Almodovar, we have Leonor Watling, and Pedro's latest favorite muse, as the next door neighbor. In a sequence that is designed to have to make the public cry, this other Ann, proceeds to tell her neighbor about her experience with Siamese twins in the hospital where she is a nurse. One was a boy and the other one was a girl and she watched the infants die! Well, hello, Ms. Coixet and Ms. Kincaid, since when Siamese twins have different sexes? That's a first one for the medical books.
While the film is not overtly weepy, it is not dealing with a full deck. Watch it at your own risk.