My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (2015)

My Life is special because it turns the camera away from the myth of the untouchable auteur and toward the human being behind the bravado, capturing Nicolas Winding Refn in the vulnerable, unvarnished middle of making Only God Forgives. Directed by his wife, Liv Corfixen, it feels less like a press-kit behind-the-scenes and more like an intimate home movie that happens to be about art, ambition, and the quiet toll a film can take on a family. The vibe is raw and emotionally involving—fascinating in the way it lets anxiety, doubt, and stubborn conviction coexist without polishing any of it into a neat narrative. If you’re looking for a glossy celebration of filmmaking, this may feel too candid, but if you want an honest, relatable portrait of creativity under pressure, it’s hard to look away.

My Life is clearly aiming for an intimate, fly-on-the-wall look at Nicolas Winding Refn’s headspace during the stressful making of Only God Forgives, filtered through the closeness of his wife’s camera. The problem is it often feels more like loosely assembled behind-the-scenes footage than a shaped documentary, with long stretches that are passive, unfocused, and light on real insight into either the craft or the man. If you’re hoping for a revealing deep dive into process, conflict, or creative breakthroughs, this may test your patience and come off as self-involved rather than illuminating. But if you already love Refn’s vibe and just want to linger in the mood of that production period, there are small, candid moments that might be enough to justify the runtime.