''Veronika Decides to Die'' is a 2009 American

psychological drama Psychological drama or psychodrama is a sub-genre of drama that places emphasis on psychological elements. It often overlaps with other genres such as crime, fantasy, black comedy, and science fiction, and it is closely related with the psychologic ...

film directed by Emily Young from a screenplay by

Roberta Hanley Roberta Hanley is an actress and movie director. She directed the 1998 movie ''Brand New World'', for which she was awarded the ''Grand Jury Prize'' for Best Feature Film at the 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. Films ...

and Larry Gross, based on the 1998 novel of the same name by

Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho de Souza (, ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel ''The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller and he has published 28 more book ...

. It stars

Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted at the age of four in New York City, she made her screen acting debut in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). A leading role on the te ...

in the title role, with Jonathan Tucker,

Florencia Lozano Florencia Lozano (born December 16, 1969) is an American actress. She starred as Téa Delgado on the daytime series ''One Life to Live''. Lozano has guest-starred in several primetime television shows, as well as films. Early life Florencia L ...

, Melissa Leo, David Thewlis, and Erika Christensen appearing as supporting characters. While the novel originally takes place in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

, Slovenia, the film is set in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Plot

Despite a seemingly successful life, 30-something Veronika Deklava is depressed and cannot find meaning in her existence. Intending suicide, she takes an

overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

, blaming her attempted suicide on the failure of the world to recognize what is "real". She wakes inside an exclusive and expensive

mental asylum The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...

only to learn that the overdose has left her prone to an

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus ( ...

that will kill her in a matter of weeks. At first, Veronika wants only to accelerate the process, and even a visit by her adoptive parents fails to rekindle her will to live. Her parents love her, but while they are prepared to spend their dwindling resources to get her what help they can (not knowing her death is imminent anyway), they do not truly understand her. They discouraged her from accepting a full musical scholarship at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

because they wanted her to get a degree that could earn her a living. They do not see how she despairs at their constraints. In spite of herself and in spite of her disappointment with her materialistic life, Veronika finds renewed purpose through playing the asylum's piano and through observing and then connecting with the

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

Edward. Not only does she recover her own will to live, Veronika helps bring Edward out of his

catatonic state Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...

, and the pair soon "escape" (Dr. Blake, looking out his window, observes them escaping, but does not send for anyone to bring them back) from the asylum together, determined to enjoy Veronika's final days as a couple. Veronika does not know that her aneurysm is the invention of her unorthodox psychiatrist Dr. Blake, who is testing his theory that convincing her she has only weeks to live will restore her to health and cure her desire to commit suicide. He explains his treatment through letter to his estranged wife, a colleague from the asylum. As long as she does not know the truth, he theorizes, she will consider each day as if it might be her last and thus treasure it. This is, he notes, actually true, as nobody knows when their end will come. When Veronika drifts off one morning on a bench at sunrise, Edward believes he has lost her, but his grief transforms to joy when she wakes. Celebrating what they believe might be one more day, the pair embrace and walk happily on the beach in the morning light, laughing and holding hands.

Cast

as Veronika Deklava * Jonathan Tucker as Edward * Erika Christensen as Claire *

as Dr. Thompson * Melissa Leo as Mari * David Thewlis as Dr. Blake * Adrian Martinez as male nurse #1

Production

Both

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

and

Kate Bosworth Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...

were previously attached to the project. Gellar was ultimately cast in the title role.

Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film '' The House of Mirt ...

and Katherine Fugate had tried to produce a version of this film but lost out on the bid to produce it. Eventually, the novel was adapted for film by Muse Productions, Das Films, and Velvet Steamroller Entertainment. Shooting for the film began on May 12, 2008, in New York City and concluded on June 21.

Release

''Veronika Decides to Die'' had a special screening in Brazil on August 7, 2009, followed by an August 21 release.Brazil Box Office, August 21-23, 2009
/ref> The film was released in Poland and Sweden in October 2009, in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

on November 19, 2009, in Lithuania on April 23, 2010, in Argentina on July 1, 2010, and in Mexico and Germany in September 2010. In Australia, it was released on a region-free PAL DVD. It was never officially released in the United Kingdom.Veronika Decides to Die (2009) - Release Info - IMDb
/ref> In the United States, the film was released by Entertainment One Films in select theaters and on VOD on January 20, 2015, and on DVD on March 17, 2015.Sarah Michelle Gellar Rants in 'Veronika Decides to Die' Clip
/ref> The film was made available on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

the same year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Veronika Decides To Die (Film) 2009 films 2009 drama films 2000s psychological drama films American psychological drama films Films about depression Films about suicide Films based on Brazilian novels Films directed by Emily Young Films set in New York City Films set in psychiatric hospitals Films shot in New York City 2000s English-language films 2000s American films