Wit
It appears to be a matter of life and death.
Based on the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Margaret Edson, Wit features Academy Award®-winning actress Emma Thompson in a movie directed by Academy Award®-winning director Mike Nichols.
Vivian Bearing is an English professor with a biting wit that educates but also alienates her students. With her teaching and life both rigidly under control, Vivian would never let down her defenses, until the day comes when they are taken down for her. Diagnosed with a devastating illness, Vivian agrees to undergo a series of procedures that are brutal, extensive and experimental. For eight months her life must take an uncharted course. No longer a teacher, but a subject for others to study, Vivian Bearing is about to discover a fine line between life and death that can only be walked with wit.
Member Reviews
10/10 - kanachien
The performance is a tour-de-force by Ms. Thompson, who plays a distinguished Professor of English Literature suddenly diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Told completely from her perspective until the final moments of the movie, Thompson was utterly convincing in her role and her suffering. I was surprised atpoignant, brilliant, raw - Rintin
I understand the more negative reviews of this movie - it is indeed very sad, even depressing. And the title, Wit, is obscure.
However I found the film cleverly scripted, intensely moving, and impeccably acted (with the exception of the young fellow, Jason, whom I felt was cast above his ability).
Professor Vivian Bearing has stage IV ovarian cancer. She coolly and immediately agrees to aggressive experimental chemotherapy, however as the indignities of her cancer treatment accumulate, her witty commentary about the process give way to more humanistic reactions - fear, loneliness, regret. We see her character expand from a somewhat one dimensional scholar to a multilayered, feeling human being.Powerful And Touching Account Of Living And Dying With Cancer - revsdd
Emma Thompson puts on a superb performance as Vivian Bearing (a Professor of English Literature specializing in the poetry of John Donne,) who leads us through the last months of her life in narrative style.
Diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, Bearing agrees to experimental treatments involving powerful doses of chemotherapy. As she gradually loses her fight, Thompson convincingly portrays her emotional and physical torment and pain. Audra McDonald is well cast as the compassionate nurse assigned as Bearing's primary care giver, who tries to ensure that, in the face of the doctors' temptation to use Bearing as a guinea pig for their research, she will be treated with dignity and respect in her last days. John Woodward is quite believable as a young cancer researcher who sees dealing with patients as an inconvenience that takes time away from what's really important to him, and his rather emotionless and awkward interplay with Bearing suits the character perfectly.
This movie offers a powerful commentary on the cold and antiseptic environment of hospitals, in which patients are seen more as learning opportunities than people. The poetry of John Donne, interspersed throughout the movie as a source of strength for Bearing, is well used.
There's very little to criticize about this movie. Christopher Lloyd (as the doctor in charge of Bearing's case) comes across as a bit flat, but the role is a relatively small one, and this doesn't detract much from the story. I also found the flashback scenes a bit distracting, but these have to be seen in context: this movie is based on a stageplay, and these scenes would look quite natural in that environment. I also thought the movie went on about five minutes too long. The last scene to me was unnecessary. I personally would have liked to have seen the movie end with the touching visit by Bearing's former Professor. The troubling last few minutes really didn't seem necessary.
Member Reviews
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10/10 - kanachien
The performance is a tour-de-force by Ms. Thompson, who plays a distinguished Professor of English Literature suddenly diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Told completely from her perspective until the final moments of the movie, Thompson was utterly convincing ...poignant, brilliant, raw - Rintin
I understand the more negative reviews of this movie - it is indeed very sad, even depressing. And the title, Wit, is obscure.
However I found the film cleverly scripted, intensely moving, and impeccably acted (with the exception of the young fellow, ...Powerful And Touching Account Of Living And Dying With Cancer - revsdd
Emma Thompson puts on a superb performance as Vivian Bearing (a Professor of English Literature specializing in the poetry of John Donne,) who leads us through the last months of her life in narrative style.
Diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, Bearing ...