Veronika Decides To Die
2009 Directed by Emily Young
Synopsis
Veronika wakes up in a mental institution after a failed suicide attempt. She discovers that she has a weakened heart and only days to live. The film follows her recovery as she finds true love and a new found will to survive.
Cast
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I don't know whether it's the director, the writers behind the adaptation, or Paulo Coelho's source material that is to blame most for the letdowns I felt throughout most of this movie. I haven't read Coelho's novel, and I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to do so after this experience. I do however think there is a good story hiding within, but it's just not released.
It's a shame, for acting performances from the likes of David Thewlis, Melissa Leo, Sarah Michelle Gellar and--even--Erika Christensen are well above what this level of storytelling deserved.
It's like it misses all the beats. We know the next steps at least two or three minutes before they happen, and it's really…
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Errático, cheio de cenas que não levam a lugar nenhum, e previsível, o que atrapalha o final do filme. Ainda tem Sarah Michelle Gellar que não gosto muito, apesar dela não estar nem ruim. Mas me surpreendi, esperava gostar menos pelo fato de ser de Paulo Coelho...
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Great film, gorgeously photographed, well acted, but not as detailed/good as the original book.
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I liked this well enough to read the book from whence the story comes, and I must say I think the screen adaptation really improved on it. It's a decent movie, if somewhat predictable, but what's really impressive is that it was made from a book that reads like it was written by a none-too-gifted 12 year old. Perhaps something was lost in the translation to English.
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I don't know whether it's the director, the writers behind the adaptation, or Paulo Coelho's source material that is to blame most for the letdowns I felt throughout most of this movie. I haven't read Coelho's novel, and I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to do so after this experience. I do however think there is a good story hiding within, but it's just not released.
It's a shame, for acting performances from the likes of David Thewlis, Melissa Leo, Sarah Michelle Gellar and--even--Erika Christensen are well above what this level of storytelling deserved.
It's like it misses all the beats. We know the next steps at least two or three minutes before they happen, and it's really…
-
Errático, cheio de cenas que não levam a lugar nenhum, e previsível, o que atrapalha o final do filme. Ainda tem Sarah Michelle Gellar que não gosto muito, apesar dela não estar nem ruim. Mas me surpreendi, esperava gostar menos pelo fato de ser de Paulo Coelho...
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2009?! This really does not feel like it was made in 2009. It has such a late 90's feel to it, which I like. Unfortunately it feels incredibly similar to Girl, Interrupted and that film is the better of the two.
Overall, it isn't a bad film but I struggled to get into and connect with this on the level that the film evidently tries to achieve. Whether that is the film's fault or my own I'm not too sure. David Thewlis was good in it though!
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"Edward: How do you feel?
Veronika: Like I could live forever." -
Well... The first movie of 2013 sure could've been better, but it could have been a lot worse too. I had originally thought to start off the year with Lawrence of Arabia, having spent the days watching tons of television, but I can never seem to fit it in and after a while I just said "it doesn't matter" and put this on; my sister and I gave it to my mother for Christmas, and she wanted to watch it with me.
Adapted from a book by Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die is a perfectly normal "character is depressed, is put in (mental) hospital, makes friends and learns to love life"-schtick, but it works here for a couple of…
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Great film, gorgeously photographed, well acted, but not as detailed/good as the original book.
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Quite a nice little film. I haven't read the source material so came in cold, and the ending caught me by surprise. There were a couple of plot elements that went nowhere, and the message of the film is fairly basic, but altogether watchable.
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The only book by Paulo Coelho I've read is "The Alchemist", which I highly disliked, so I was a bit apprehensive about watching this film.
Unfortunately I had figured out the big reveal at the end very early on, so the ending kind of fell flat. I also think that Coelho's stories only resonate with someone if they haven't yet figured out his "morale of the story" or the life lesson he wants to teach by themselves - or rather only if the person agrees with them. Therefore they do not resonate strongly with me.
But Gellar's acting was better than expected (she toned it down rather than exaggerate, which I appreciated) and the music was beautiful, which made for a few really lovely scenes.