Me Without You

Cast & Crew

Anna Friel

Marina

Michelle Williams

Holly

Kyle MacLachlan

Daniel

Oliver Milburn

Nat

Trudie Styler

Linda

Marianne Denicourt

Isabel

Nicky Henson

Ray

Allan Corduner

Max

Deborah Findlay

Judith

Steve John Shepherd

Carl

Sandra Goldbacher

Director

Sandra Goldbacher

Writer

Finola Dwyer

Producer

Ulrich Felsberg

Co-Producer

Judy Counihan

Co-Producer

Torsten Leschly

Co-Producer

Jonathan Olsberg

Executive Producer

Steve Christian

Executive Producer

Paul Ritchie

Line Producer

Adrian Johnston

Original Music

Denis Crossan

Cinematographer

Michael Ellis

Film Editing

Jill Trevellick

Casting

Steve Carter

Art Director

Rebecca Alleway

Set Decoration

Rosie Hackett

Costume Design

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Critic Reviews for Me Without You

Audience Reviews for Me Without You

• Nov 25, 2010

  Needful Things... I mean, Me Without You, juggles several themes without a catastrophy - does this make for great entertainment? Not necessarily, though there is certainly enough here to mull over. The "story" involves two young girls; next door neighbors who probably, if they weren't next door neighbors, would not have connected. In one corner you have Holly, the product of a stable Jewish family, who has been told since a toddler that she has brains, not beauty. In the other, you have her opposite, Marina, from a broken family whose mother instills the virtue of beauty. Once the two main charactors are introduced you get to live with them for the next 30 years via a series of vignettes that, taken seperatly, are often flat and uninvolving, but as a whole take on new life and direction. While the early part of the film wallows in pathos and boredom, there is a much deeper subtext that makes this film watchable. I made the lil joke about needful things, because that's what all the charactors are, especially Marina. Whether it's because of her father's rejection, or her mother's teachings about beauty and attention being the true way to wealth and happiness, she not only needs the spotlight all the time, but perceives that she needs ANYTHING that anyone else might desire as well. So, she takes anything that Holly may want, including men. It's easy to understand why Marina needs Holly, since she's such a Diva and always needs applause and attention, but why does Holly tolerate Marina? Is it because Marina offers some sense of adventure and wonder that her own bookish life fails to provide? Or is it, in her case, a true sense of kinship and the bond formed by lonliness? These themes are all interesting, but it's subtext and not the crux of the film, which seriously meanders as it tells it's story of the two girls and those around them (particularly Mirina's older brother, who a young Holly has a crush on and later.... well, let's just say there's lot's going on). I could have done without much of the period effects - too much of the disco scene - oh, look at the gay guy doing a fan dance - and other superflous scenes drawn simply to impart a sense of the era. I also found the drug party scene to be rather pointless, except to perhaps give an underpinning to the main charactors. Further scenes also left me underimpressed, though they gave me ample time to comtemplate the underlying stuff I've already discussed. I also felt that the final scene where Holly has finally had enough of Marina's needs to be a bit melodramatic - not from Holly of course, but Marina's blathering soul sucking need and then her subsequent emotional breakdown... it just played slightly over the top and false. But then the film redeems itself with a very nice closing scene 10 years later - the girls are back together, out in the backyard watching their own two children, both girls, cavorting about. Without saying anything the film say volumes as it freeze frames on the next generation. The meaning is evident, and the cycle of need continues.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Sep 24, 2009

  Cast: Michelle Williams, Anna Friel, Oliver Milburn, Kyle MacLachlan, Trudie Styler, Marianne Denicourt, Steve John Shepherd, Allan Corduner, Nicky Henson, Deborah Findlay Directed by: Sandra Goldbacher Summary: In 1970s London, two young girls, Holly (Michelle Williams) and Marina (Anna Friel), grow up next door to each other, share intimacies and survive mutual traumas. Their lives are completely intertwined, and they make a pact of eternal friendship they don't ever plan to break. But as they progress through adolescence and young adulthood in the turbulent 1980s, their friendship and resolve are tested. My Thoughts: "It's really surprising how much I not only enjoyed this film, but how much I related to it. Me and my bestie have much of the same relationship as Holly and Marina. It's a gals, gals movie. Not much for the guys. But it's a great film that should be seen even if its about a couple of best-friends staring two girls. I was surprised that I liked it, because most best-friend films are full of bubblegum bullshit. This film felt like it was a very honest and real portrayal of a friendship/sisterhood. Love Michelle Williams. Her and Anna Friel where great together. Thought they were both believable as besties. Will definitely watch it again."
  

  Super Reviewer
• Aug 29, 2008

  An intense film about friendship. The performances are great by both Anna Friel as the controlling Marina and by Michelle Williams as her mistreated friend Holly (although that English accent slipped a few times). I loved how the film moves through the decades (we are treated to a great soundtrack and a nostalgic look at the 70s/80s.) It could of done without the final scene though.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Feb 26, 2008

  great film.. michelle and anna are great together..
  

  Super Reviewer