Wit

Wit, starring co-writer Emma Thompson, is a painful movie to watch, but as she says at the beginning of the film, “if this is painful for you to watch, think of what it must be like for me,” or something to that effect. Wit tells the story of Vivian Bearing, a renowned professor of 17th century poetry, who finds out at age 48 she has advanced ovarian cancer. The film starts with her diagnosis, and her consent to undergo a trial for an 8 month cycle of chemo at full dose. The hospital she is at is affiliated with the university, and she agrees to be a lab rat, but she is surprised when she is treated like one, too. This isn't just another story about the lack of compassion and empathy from researchers in the health profession, though the issue is addressed. Vivian has dedicated her life to the sonnets of John Donne, and now speaking to the viewer directly from her hospital bed, she finds her intellect counts for nothing anymore. She always prided herself on being a scholar, a researcher, and never accepting compromise, but she realizes a little late in the game that kindness and companionship were perhaps worthy of study as well. Thompson is at her best in this film, which deals with death and poetry, and while it is enlightening, one goes to bed with an uneasy feeling, pondering the meaning of life.