For those of you who enjoy a good cry, this will probably do the trick. A young wife and mother named Ann (played by an outstanding Sarah Polley) is told that she only has a few months to live. Rather than tell the people that she loves what is happening, Ann decides to spare them the heartache and goes about setting things up so that her loved ones transition to life without her is as easy as possible. Her actions includes introducing and fostering a friendship between her husband and daughters with the compassionate and vibrant woman next door whom she hopes will eventually take her place as wife and mother. In addition, Ann sets out to do the things she has always wanted to do which include having an affair with a handsome stranger, played by Mark Ruffalo in an intense and moving performance.
Certainly this is an interesting and original premise, yet, how much you buy into it will be based on your opinion of whether Ann not telling her family about her impeding death is more selfless or selfish. How exactly is her husband going to feel when he realizes that his wife never gave him the opportunity to love and support her through the most difficult days of her life? How will her daughters and mother feel that they were not even given the opportunity to make the most of their final days together?
The film left me wondering how any person could possibly find the strength to deal with their impending death completely on their own. This is definitely a thought provoking and moving film, but ultimately, it raises more questions than it answers.
Certainly this is an interesting and original premise, yet, how much you buy into it will be based on your opinion of whether Ann not telling her family about her impeding death is more selfless or selfish. How exactly is her husband going to feel when he realizes that his wife never gave him the opportunity to love and support her through the most difficult days of her life? How will her daughters and mother feel that they were not even given the opportunity to make the most of their final days together?
The film left me wondering how any person could possibly find the strength to deal with their impending death completely on their own. This is definitely a thought provoking and moving film, but ultimately, it raises more questions than it answers.