Veronika Decides to Die
August. 21,2009 RAfter a frantic suicide attempt, Veronika awakens inside a mysterious mental asylum. Under the supervision of an unorthodox psychiatrist who specializes in controversial treatment, Veronika learns that she has only weeks to live.
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To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
An absolute winner is "Veronika Decides to Die", a 2009 independent film with at least five production companies in the credits. It is currently available on NetFlix Instant Download Streaming. The director is Emily Young. The writers include Paulo Coelho (book) and Larry Gross(screenwriter). The cast includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jonathan Tucker, Erika Christensen, Florencia Lozano, Rena Owen, Erica Gimpel, Victo Slezak, Barbara Sukowa, Victor Steinbach, Melissa Leo, David Thewils, Virl Andrick, Jeff Applegate, Lisette Bross, Mathew Cowles, Jill Dalton, Meg Gibson, Holter Graham, Nicolette Hart, Ward Horton, Jessica Kaye and Amanda LaPergola. The story revolves around a young woman who is depressed to the point of suicide. She is told that she has but one week to live because the drugs she took to kill herself have induced an aneurysm of her heart. Her struggle is intriguing and I gave this short film 8 stars. Dale Haufrect
Everyone has different perception and here is mine. I wouldn't say that this movie was very bad or boring. It was not believable in my opinion. If you decide to commit suicide in your own home, you make sure the doors are locked and nobody is going to visit you in the next few days. In this film she did not even pass out before someone was already banging on her door and how did they come in? Let alone how did they find out? From the email she sent in response to an advertisement? From that on things were becoming even less realistic. A nut house that looks like a retreat for super rich. Not sure why her parents were even brought into the story. The sudden transformation from hating life to loving it was unsubstantiated. A guy? A silent guy who was sitting on a tree suddenly made her realize that life is worth living? Quite a stretch after she was cynical about guys and marriage and family life in general. The performances were okay. I did not watch any of her other movies prior to this one simply because they are not the movies I watch.The final scenes, after the escape, were dull, pretentious and unrealistic. This film just confirmed that I stick to foreign movies, which almost never disappoint me. Force Majeure is the latest one I enjoyed.
Found it on Netflix streaming movies.Sarah Michelle Gellar, about 30 when this was filmed, is New York career woman Veronika Deklava. The opening scene is just her among thousands of others taking the train to work, as we hear her thoughts. They are mundane, she will continue to work the way her parents expect her to, she will meet a guy some day, they will marry, perhaps have children, he will cheat on her because she works too much, she will try to overlook it. With that kind of jaded outlook it is no wonder that when she gets home she lines up her various drugs in overdose mode and downs them with booze.Of course she sent a farewell email so medics are sent to her home and they break into her apartment. When she awakes, in a medical facility, she has been in a coma for some time, her heart had stopped, and in the process generated an aneurysm that was inoperable and her time alive was limited, she had maybe a day, maybe a week to live, no one could be certain.So she settles in at this facility, run by a Psychiatrist that tries to get her to open up, try to be joyous. But my own thoughts were, if she tried to kill herself, and now has a very short time anyway, why bother?The break comes when she identifies with the pain of another patient, Jonathan Tucker as Edward, depressed and mute since an auto accident that killed his girlfriend. On a whim Veronika uncovers the old piano and plays classical music she was trained for, Edward seems to respond. Maybe she can now see purpose in her existence?All the actors are good, and Brit David Thewlis plays the Psychiatrist Dr. Blake. It is a slow-moving movie but also very nice if one has the patience to see it all the way through, as critical scenes don't come until near the end.SPOILERS: The hospital, near the Hudson River outside the city, is not voluntary and patients can't leave by their own volition. But after Veronika and Edward no longer want to be there he leads the two of them on an escape, find a train, and head to Manhattan. While they are escaping we learn that Dr. Blake lied about Veronika, using the medical tests of a former patient. She did not have an aneurysm and was not dying soon, he only wanted to try it as a way to spark her interest in living. He resigned and left to visit an old colleague, while Veronika and Edward visited on a park bench. Suddenly she went unresponsive and we think she has died but then she wakes up, she had just been tired, it seems she and Edward may have met their ideal mates and both will overcome their emotional baggage.
The story centers on Veronika, a woman in her mid twenties who appears to have everything: good looks, good job and a great life ahead of her. Yet she decides to end her own life. She is unsuccessful and awakens in a mental hospital where she learns that she a short time to live. However in the hospital she meets people who are only 'insane' because they don't always follow society's rules. With little left to lose, Veronika embarks on a journey on which she frees herself to experience relationships and emotions and ultimately discovers what it means to live.I Can't Help It. This Is Truly The Best Drama Movie I Have Seen To Date (That Can Be Argued But Thats My Opinion). The Character Development With Veronika Is Fantastic And I Am Not Even Close To Kidding. The Main Reason This Film Appealed To Me Is That I Have Been Through Depression And If I Had To Choose A Stabbing Or Depression I'd Choose The Stabbing, It Was A Long Time Ago But That Is Not Something You Forget.I Was Also Pleasantly Surprised To See David Thewlis In A Movie That Is Good (I REALLY Hate Harry Potter). This Is Also Proof That There Are Still Good Movies Out There Its Just None Of Its Popular Anymore. I Will Also Say I Have Never Read The Book But Its One That I Will Make A Note Of To Read. I Also Liked The Twist That Veronika Was Fine, It Was The One Way That This Movie Could've Ended With Her Discovering What It Means To Live. I Nearly Did Cry When Edward Thought She Was Dead.Overall I Highly Recommend This Even If Your Not The Biggest Fan Of Drama Movies - I'm Not And I Loved This - Because This Is Truly One Of The Best Movies Of 2009.EDIT: I Have Finished Reading The Book And Both The Movie And The Book Are Fantastic 10/10