Me Without You

Growing up in neighbouring houses in 1970s London, Holly and Marina promise as children to be friends forever. Marina is restless, her family is coming apart, and she is determined to try everything; Holly is quiet and reticent. As the years pass, Marina starts sabotaging every opportunity in Holly's life. The friendship continues, but has become something in which one of them will not let the other go. Sandra Goldbacher treats the friendship like a romance: jealousy, possessiveness, betrayal, and an inability to separate regardless. The narrative runs from the 1970s into the 1990s, with the music and fashion of each era marking the time. Anna Friel plays Marina and Michelle Williams plays Holly. The imbalance between them is the film's engine. Who it's for: Viewers who like drama built on female friendship, British independent cinema, and narratives that move across decades. Who it's not for: Marina's behaviour repeats and the film is very forgiving of her. The period design also gets in front of the story at times.