My Life Without Me (2003)

My Life Without Me is a poignant yet plainly told story of Anne (Sarah Polley), a young wife and mother who learns she has two months to live. Without telling anyone else in her trailer-park, blue-collar existence, she silently bears the emotional burden of her impending death while secretly making preparations for her loved ones to live on after she is gone. (Her bucket list includes recording birthday messages for both of her children through age 18 and introducing a kind and thoughtful girlfriend to her husband and children in the unspoken calculation that the friend will become her spousal and maternal replacement.) My Life Without Me presents no pretense as it simply tells the story of one working class woman's stoic regard for her loved ones and her legacy -- for the life her family currently lives with her, and she expects they will continue to live without her. As such, Sarah Polley in this role is a bit like Mary Louise Parker in Friend Green Tomatoes (but without the haggard death scene) or Shelby in Steel Magnolias (yet without all the camaraderie and weeping at the end). Anne's is one woman's life, lived in service to her family and without any hint of drama (beyond what we infer on our own out of empathy). It is the story of Everymom. It is a tale of motherly love. 4 stars. (3-10-2011, posted 3-7-2016)