Veronika Decides to Die is a 2009 American psychological drama film directed by Emily Young from a screenplay by Roberta Hanley and Larry Gross, based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Paulo Coelho.[4] It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar,[5] Jonathan Tucker,[6] Melissa Leo, David Thewlis, and Erika Christensen.[7] While the novel originally takes place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the film is set in New York City