Being-towards-death: ‘My Life Without Me’ And the Director Isabel Coixet

Isabel Coixet is one of the most prolific film directors of Spain. She graduated from the University of Barcelona with a major in history in 18th and 19th centuries, she never went to film school. Before step into movie industry, Coixet worked in advertising agencies for clients including British Telecom, Danone, BMW, IKEA and Pepsi.

Coixet has been preparing her whole life to be a film director, and her passion for film began as a child. Her grandmother was a cinema ticket seller. When she was 14, she received a video camera as a birthday present and immediately decided to become a director. As a child, she mentioned, she was hired to photograph and videotape weddings and parties at the homes of relatives and friends.

Isabel Coixet started traveling around the world at the age of 17, working and living in London, New York, Paris, Tokyo and other cities. These experiences helped her to make films and see things more globally. So, there are Paris, je t 'Aime (2006), Elisa y Marcela (2019), Nadie quiere la noche (2015), The Bookshop (2017) and other excellent works!

The film My Life Without Me released in 2003, which became one of her signature representatives. The film was great, starring Sarah Polley. Coixet acquired fame with the film, the film also made her won the Best Film at the Fasteival Internacional de Cinema in 2002.

The story of My Life Without Me was about Ann’s life. Ann was a cleaner in a university who is less than 24 years old. She has a bad relationship with her mother, her father was in prison and unable to provide shelter for Ann, so Ann's husband is the first and only man in her life. Ann's husband, who gave birth to two daughters when Ann was 17 and 19 years old, the family of four live in a trailer. The husband got a job for building swimming pools.

Unfortunately, Ann never met a good fortune in her life. Ann was diagnosed with cancer and she had only two to three months to live. Determined to keep her illness a secret from her family, Ann drew up a wish list: Tell her two children ‘I love you’ every day; help her husband find a new company; record an annual birthday greeting for her two children; find a lover for herself; and visit her father in prison and hold his hand.

Ann's plan came true one by one, everything seems to happen step by step, including her death.

Director Isabel Coixet made a film that moves audiences with monologues and touching story. It has to be said that Coixet, with her stylish dress and humorous expression, is a far from her personally tear-gas-filming-style. In person, she is curious and humorous, and her whole body is full of laughter.

In fact, there’s no Spanish film style in Coixet’s films, she even doesn’t speak Spanish. However, this does not hinder her success in film making, which also forms her unique style. The film also earned her a nomination for Golden Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, besides, the she was shortlisted for Best Director in Europe by My Life Without Me.

If we saw the film, as the protagonist, Sarah Polley's performance as Ann is very successful. She portrayed Ann's despair and longing in the last days of her life very well-detailed. Her outstanding performance won the audience's recognition. As a well-known Canadian actress, she was also an experienced director.

Sarah Polley later collaborated with Isabel Coixet again on a classic film, La vida secreta de las palabras (2005). Coixet won the Best Film, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay at Goya Awards in 2005.

The film My Life Without Me makes people think again about "being-towards-death", life is impermanent. For death, we tend to ignore or avoid talking about it, or perhaps overreact, creating pessimism or panic in the heart, just as I always felt that the word "being-towards-death " with a sense of heroism. But this movie made me realize that "being-towards-death " can be peaceful -- saying goodbye to one’s memory calmly, realizing one’s wishes come true step by step, making life like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.