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Veronika Decides to Die, 2009
In the very beginning of this film Veronika (Sarah Michelle Gellar) decides that she's had enough--enough of chasing shallow rank at her job, enough of the emotionless people who surround her on the subway, and enough of therapy and anti-depressants that don't work. So Veronika decides to die. Only her attempt is not successful and she wakes up in a mental health care facility where she learns that her overdose did permanent damage to her heart. She's alive, but not for long.
This is a very engaging premise, and I appreciated that the film doesn't feel the need to go "big" with how Veronika deals with her limited time remaining. At first she is determined to go through with another suicide attempt, but with nothing left to lose she finally begins to take a strong perspective on her own life and successfully self-advocate. Along the way she forms a bond with a fellow inmate, Edward (Jonathan Tucker), who has been silent since suffering his own trauma.
This is a very subdued film. There's a subplot that feels like it could be taken to a sensational place (Veronika becomes newsworthy because of the way she blasted a certain company in her suicide letter), but the film mostly sweeps this aside in favor of focusing on Veronika's development as a person.
My enjoyment of this film was no doubt boosted by the cast. I really, really like Sarah Michelle Gellar. Ever since her days on Buffy the Vampire Slayer I've felt that she does a really great job of portraying someone experiencing deep unrest under a calm surface. I also really like Jonathan Tucker, who plays her love interest. David Thewlis (another favorite of mine) is there as well, playing Veronika's unconventional therapist. Throw in Melissa Leo and Erika Christensen as fellow patients, and this was a cast I was very predisposed to enjoy.
As with any film about unconventional psychiatric treatment, I felt that there were some serious ethical issues with several things that took place in the film. This specifically includes one thing (that I had actually guessed might happen) that I felt was VERY unethical. While it's all in service of an interesting character arc, it was still problematic.
Overall this is a very, for lack of a better word, mild film. I thought that it was very sweet and a great example of a film not needing a forceful lead to have impact. There is a certain degree to which the film is a bit simplistic in its approach to portraying depression and how it might be addressed. Still, I enjoyed it.
Veronika Decides to Die, 2009
In the very beginning of this film Veronika (Sarah Michelle Gellar) decides that she's had enough--enough of chasing shallow rank at her job, enough of the emotionless people who surround her on the subway, and enough of therapy and anti-depressants that don't work. So Veronika decides to die. Only her attempt is not successful and she wakes up in a mental health care facility where she learns that her overdose did permanent damage to her heart. She's alive, but not for long.
This is a very engaging premise, and I appreciated that the film doesn't feel the need to go "big" with how Veronika deals with her limited time remaining. At first she is determined to go through with another suicide attempt, but with nothing left to lose she finally begins to take a strong perspective on her own life and successfully self-advocate. Along the way she forms a bond with a fellow inmate, Edward (Jonathan Tucker), who has been silent since suffering his own trauma.
This is a very subdued film. There's a subplot that feels like it could be taken to a sensational place (Veronika becomes newsworthy because of the way she blasted a certain company in her suicide letter), but the film mostly sweeps this aside in favor of focusing on Veronika's development as a person.
My enjoyment of this film was no doubt boosted by the cast. I really, really like Sarah Michelle Gellar. Ever since her days on Buffy the Vampire Slayer I've felt that she does a really great job of portraying someone experiencing deep unrest under a calm surface. I also really like Jonathan Tucker, who plays her love interest. David Thewlis (another favorite of mine) is there as well, playing Veronika's unconventional therapist. Throw in Melissa Leo and Erika Christensen as fellow patients, and this was a cast I was very predisposed to enjoy.
As with any film about unconventional psychiatric treatment, I felt that there were some serious ethical issues with several things that took place in the film. This specifically includes one thing (that I had actually guessed might happen) that I felt was VERY unethical. While it's all in service of an interesting character arc, it was still problematic.
Overall this is a very, for lack of a better word, mild film. I thought that it was very sweet and a great example of a film not needing a forceful lead to have impact. There is a certain degree to which the film is a bit simplistic in its approach to portraying depression and how it might be addressed. Still, I enjoyed it.