Themes: Mothers and Daughters, First Love, Women's Friendship
Main Cast: Anna Friel, Michelle Williams, Kyle MacLachlan, Oliver Milburn, Trudie Styler, Marianne Denicourt
Release Year: 2001
Country: UK
Run Time: 108 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The joys and horrors of female friendship are explored in writer/director Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You. Bold, brash, and fashionable Marina (played by Anna Popplewell as a child, and Anna Friel as a teen and adult) comes from a broken home. Her mother, Linda (Trudie Styler, who executive produced Guy Ritchie's first two films, and is also Sting's wife) is a hip young divorcée who apologizes every time she yells at her children. Holly (Ella Jones as a child, Michelle Williams of Dawson's Creek and Dick as a teen and adult) is a timid bookworm, mildly ashamed of her Jewishness, and easily goaded into more outrageous behavior by Marina. Holly's mother (Deborah Findlay) tells her early on not to expect too much from men. She helps lower her daughter's expectations by telling her, "Some people are pretty people, and some are clever people, which is more important than looks." As girls in the early '70s, Marina and Holly form a pact to become "Harina," inseparable best friends. Next-door neighbors, they are never apart for long. But Holly harbors a secret crush on Marina's older brother, Nat (Oliver Milburn), and when the girls are teens, and Marina finds out about Holly's feelings, she does her best to keep the two apart. In college, when Holly bonds with a lit-crit professor, Daniel (Kyle Maclachlan), over Andrei Tarkovsky and Ingmar Bergman, Holly feels compelled to sabotage their budding relationship, by seducing Daniel first. Eventually, Nat, despite his lingering fondness for Holly, gets seriously involved with a French actress, Isabel (Marianne Denicourt). As the girls get older, their differences become more apparent to Holly, and she begins to question their friendship. The film covers three decades, with songs and costumes appropriate to each era. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Review
Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You is a fond, bittersweet look at how one childhood friendship, begun in the 1970s, evolves over the ensuing decades. The filmmakers excel at capturing the look and spirit of the times, particularly the late '70s and early '80s. Almost all of the pop culture references in the film are amusingly accurate. The film also has an exuberant, energetic pop feel, although the film's subject matter (essentially a dissolving friendship, poisoned by frequent betrayals) is occasionally depressing. Michelle Williams (Dick) demonstrates further range, playing a bookish, Jewish, and -- most impressively -- English girl. Williams' accent is solid, so it's never a distraction. This is a very sympathetic and graceful performance. In fact, Holly's so charming and sweet in her low-key way that it throws the film slightly off-balance, because Anna Friel's Marina, Holly's best friend, is such a self-serving, duplicitous monster. Such people do exist; it's true. And the friendship between Holly and Marina isn't completely one-sided, particularly when they're younger, and Marina draws Holly out of her shell. But because Holly is portrayed as comparatively saintly, the film becomes, for the audience, an impatient wait for poor Holly (and the object of her affection, Marina's brother, Nat, played by the appealing Oliver Milburn) to figure things out. This gives the film a slightly masochistic edge. Still, there's a wealth of insight and humor in the script. Me Without You is an engaging look at how friendship can endure, even when it doesn't serve either party's best interests. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Nicky Henson - Ray; Alan Corduner - Max; Deborah Findlay - Judith; Steve John Shepherd - Carl; Ella Jones - Young Holly; Anna Popplewell - Young Marina
This drama charts the development of the friendship between two very different girls (Holly and Marina) from their teenage years during the late 1970s to the present day.
The first scene depicts the girls at 12 years old in 1973. Although they are next-door neighbours, both girls come from very different backgrounds. Holly is Jewish and has an overprotective mother, while Marina's mother is much more laid back and her father is almost never around. At this point, Holly also develops a crush on Marina's older brother Nat.
The film then cuts to 1978, which finds them lying on Marina's bed smoking because they're bored. Later on, Marina runs over to Holly's house to tell her that she's found out about a party that Nat's girlfriend, Carolyn, is having. When the girls get to the party, the others ask if they would like to "play a game", although the "game" simply involves shooting heroin. Nat's girlfriend soon leaves with the other two guys; while Marina wants to follow them, Holly begs her not to. However, when Marina gets up to leave, Holly kisses Nat and the two end up sleeping together. Marina sees them and becomes angry, telling Holly that Nat only had sex with her because he was stoned and probably didn't even recognize her. The next morning, Nat wakes up Marina and asks her to leave a note with Holly that says what happened last night was "beautiful" but a case of bad timing, and that he looks forward to their future. However, Marina angrily rips up the note.
The film then jumps ahead to 1982, at which point Holly and Marina are attending university together. In addition, they are both sleeping with the same professor; a man that Marina had originally thought boring. Nat comes to visit, and he and Holly reconnect. Holly decides she wants to be with him. But, when she goes to end things with her professor, she sees Marina kissing him goodbye. She runs back to Nat, so upset she forgets about the relationship they were about to enter. Holly soon confronts Marina and the two fight. While Marina soon makes up with Holly, she ruins things between her and Nat by telling them both that the other hasn't wanted to talk to them. Ultimately, the three of them are reunited at a New Year's party, where Nat announces his intent to marry his girlfriend Isabel.
The next scene finds the girls in their late 20s, in 1989. Holly is a writer, dating a man Marina has chosen for her. Marina is dating a Jewish doctor. Nat comes over to Holly's place and tells her he talks to her in his head all the time. They are interrupted by Holly's boyfriend returning, at which point she tells Nat to leave. Shortly thereafter, she decides she wants to go to America, but Marina tries to stop her by telling her she is pregnant.
Some time later, the characters are reunited at another New Year's Eve party. While playing "Guess Who?", Nat begins to describe someone in a very deep way. Holly guesses Isabel, but Isabel claims it's Holly. Marina says she's bored with this game and they should play sardines. As they wander through the dark house, Marina begins to kiss Holly's boyfriend. Holly and Nat then find each other, however, and Holly tells him she also talks to him all the time in her head. When Holly's boyfriend refuses her advances, Marina freaks out and runs outside. Holly confronts her, and tells her they have to stop being friends. Marina tell her "there's no me without you!" but Holly tells her there is. As Holly walks away, Nat catches up to her and asks if he can come. The two ride a bus away.
The final scene finds the characters in 2001. Nat and Holly have a daughter, and Marina has a daughter and a son. Marina and Holly do not appear as close as they once were, although each accepts the other's presence for the sake of their two young daughters, who appear to be best friends.
