Ray Pride

Sandra Goldbacher's second feature, "Me Without You" is a concise gem, tracing the lives of two friends (Anna Friel, Michelle Williams) who live next door to each other in a small English town, from the 1970s to nearly today. They're 12 and stealing giggly looks at the skinny brother of Anna's character. Before you know it, punk, the new romantics, heroin, semiotics classes, semiotics instructors (Kyle MacLachlan), lying pals and lying s.o.b.s. comprise a life. A lovely, loving portrait of cruelty between the best of friends, "Me Without You" is one of my favorite surprises of the year: a behaviorally and decoratively detailed recitative of female misbehavior with a sweeping wallop of a conclusion. You won't even notice Williams' English accent: it's her immense empathetic qualities as an actor that stand out. The "period" music is used differently than in "24 Hour Party People," also released this week, but it has more than a couple of kicks to the head. Sweet, bittersweet, and every second feels lived through. Autobiographical in the least, Sandra?

"Me Without You" opens Friday at Pipers Alley. (2002-08-14)

Also by Ray Pride

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