The story itself isn’t particularly strong, but the movie has a lot going for it. The acting is excellent, notably Sarah Polley’s performance. All of the characters feel genuine and relatable—even the children. Above all else, this film champions an exuberant enjoyment of life, echoing Frida Kahlo before Coldplay's use of the phrase. There's a Buddhist story that comes to mind about a man fleeing a tiger who finds himself at the edge of a cliff. One side has the tiger; the other, the cliff. He spots a branch growing from the rock and clings to it, expecting both he and the branch to fail soon. Then he notices a wild strawberry nearby, which turns out to be the most delicious one he’s ever tasted. The film's main character approaches life in a similar way. Confronted with the reality of death at a young age, she commits to experiencing each day completely, something people rarely do. Another interesting—though possibly unrealistic—choice is her decision to keep her diagnosis and prognosis private from everyone. She takes inspiration from Dr. Thompson (played by Julian Richings), who feels unable to tell someone they are dying directly. Consequently, she avoids putting anyone else in his position. This allows the film to sidestep the predictable, overly sentimental storyline of watching someone’s decline.

Source on TMDB