Nothing Against Life

2016 • 97 minutes

About this movie

While searching for human connection in the heart of an eclectic urban area, four disparate characters navigate the razor's edge of life. A foreigner among foreigners, Felipe is a South American writer researching suicide with the help of a veteran author, whose insights are informed by his struggle with mental health. Caught up in his research, Felipe suspects his fascination with the subject may not be entirely coincidental. Compounding Felipe's anxiety is uncertainty about his new relationship with Jen, the daughter of local socialite, Barbara Anker. Barbara is a privileged woman overwhelmed with boredom, who has turned to pharmaceuticals to cope. Her alienation from family and friends further weakens her tenuous grasp on reality. A few blocks from Barbara lives Paul, an undergrad student with bipolar disorder who quietly finds refuge in drugs and alcohol. His sensitivity and affection for the most basic and seemingly ordinary components of life often make him an object of bewilderment. In an effort to find stability, Paul decides to stay at home with his loving parents for his last year of college. Around the corner from Felipe is Paul's favorite coffee shop, where Wave works as a barista. She makes coffee for Felipe and Paul, oblivious to their shared struggles. Wave's life is marked by a painful relationship with her fundamentalist Christian family. In her late twenties, she is convinced her ideals and ambitions are hopeless. Wave retreats and connects only to her own imagination. As these four strangers intertwine, they must look life in the face and make the most important decision they have ever made: to embrace their reality and all the contradictions this demands, or to simply cast their lives away.

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