My Life Without Me

"What you are… is what you leave behind."

2003 1h 46m EN

😐

6.1

MID

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 518●57Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 26,739

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A fatally ill mother with only two months to live creates a list of things she wants to do before she dies without telling her family of her illness.

“What you are… is what you leave behind.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Cast

Sarah Polley
Ann
Amanda Plummer
Laurie
Scott Speedman
Don
Mark Ruffalo
Lee
Leonor Watling
Neighbor Ann
Debbie Harry
Ann's Mother
Maria de Medeiros
Hairdresser
Julian Richings
Dr. Thompson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Isabel Coixet
Writers: Nanci Kincaid, Isabel Coixet
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Isabel Coixet, shot by Jean-Claude Larrieu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Original score by Alfonso Vilallonga. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lisa Robison shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sarah Polley and Amanda Plummer and Scott Speedman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Isabel Coixet directs. Jean-Claude Larrieu behind the camera. Alfonso Vilallonga scores. Lisa Robison cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Canada, Spain. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.9× over at the box office.
3Released 23 years ago.
4International production across 2 countries: Canada, Spain.
5Directed by Isabel Coixet, shot by Jean-Claude Larrieu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alfonso Vilallonga. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Lisa Robison shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Sarah Polley and Amanda Plummer and Scott Speedman carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "What you are… is what you leave behind.".
10IMDB entry: tt0314412 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "dying and death", "daughter", "farewell", "night shift".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jean-Claude Larrieu
Original score: Alfonso Vilallonga
Editing: Lisa Robison
Production design: Carol Lavallee
Makeup / hair: Melanie Burke
Sound: Manuel Corrales
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,500,000
Box office: $12,300,000
Return: 492% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: My Life Without Me (2003)
Metacritic: 57/100
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 26,739 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

16 wins & 15 nominations total

24th Genie Awards
Goya Award for Best Original Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Isabel Coixet

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2023-09-16
★ 7/10
As a narrative, it's a bit weak. But on other levels, this film is fascinating. The cast, especially Sarah Polley, does a bang up job. Every character real and believable - even the kids. First and foremost, the film is a strong advocate for "viva la vida" (Frida Kahlo before Cold Play!). There is an old Buddhist parable about a man running from a tiger and suddenly faced with a cliff. In one direction, the tiger; in the other, the cliff. He looks down and sees a branch growing out of the rock. Somehow, he casts himself down and grabs that branch. The tiger looks over the edge at him. He doesn't think either he or the branch can hold on too long. Then he spies a wild strawberry near the branch. He grabs it and eats it. It is the very best strawberry he ever ate in his soon-to-be-over life. And so it is with our protagonist. Having the harshness of mortality shoved in her face at a young age, she begins to live each day with full attention. Something humans hardly ever practice. Second, the interesting, but perhaps unrealistic, decision to withhold her diagnosis and prognosis from everyone, creates an entirely unexpected space. She takes her cue from Dr. Thompson (Julian Richings), who can't look someone in the eye and tell them they're going to die. From there, she decides not to put anyone else in Dr. Thompson's situation. This frees us from the overly maudlin watching someone die thread.

Production companies