How would you behave if you had to confront your own mortality? Especially if you were young, in your twenties or early thirties, how would you react if you learned you had less than two months to live? These questions create the point of departure for Amy Redford's whimsical fairytale "The Guitar", a thoroughly engaging almost mythological allegory that is fuelled by the exceptional performance of Saffron Burrows and executed with style by its director.

One morning Mel, a mousy, harried New Yorker with a thankless job and an even-less-appealing boyfriend learns that the tumour in her throat is cancerous; the diagnosis is terminal, so it seems that both her job and her relationship are kaput. Rather than lying down and dying then and there, she embarks on an endless spree, the kind of self-indulgent wish fulfilment that we have all fantasized about.

Written by Amos Poe, and based on a real story, this beautifully realized parable speaks volumes about living. Overflowing with an energy and vitality that belies the initial darkness of its narrative, The Guitar is a transcendent respite from the turmoil of our troubled times. It is sure to capture both your imagination and your heart.