(Canada, 59 min.)
Dir. Anne Wheeler
Programme: Canadian
Spectrum (World Premiere)
Chin. the twenty-second letter of the Greek Alphabetn. the vital energy believed to circulate the body in currentsn. the will to live
In Kerala, the 63
year-old Babz hopes to cure the cancer she’s been battling for six years by
undergoing Ayurvedic healing treatment to cleanse her body of its deadly
sickness. The friends, which Wheeler describes in voice-over as a pair of
“godless hippies,” share a mutual interest in the mystical potpourri of India
and embrace the alternative remedies with gusto. The clinic at first affords a
disappointment akin to decaying structure of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. No
ornate halls or therapeutic elephants make up the retreat, just a homely set of
houses and a down-to-earth clinic staff.
Babz accepts the healer’s remedies as best as she can. She
has nothing to lose, she hints as she bares herself to the camera and notes
that years of chemotherapy have drained the life from her body and simply
allowed her breast cancer to metastasize to her liver and lungs, as well as
allow a second cancer in her blood to attack her body in spite of the radiation.
The remedies are odd and funky: termite dung soothes the swelling on Babz’s
legs and a diet of ghee (buttery oil stuff) is supposed to bloat Babz until she
sweats toxins from her pores.
Whether it’s the change in the lighting or the filter of the
camera, one sees a noticeable brightness in Babz as she undergoes the healing.
There’s a youthful healthiness to her appearance and her vitality. She and Anne
walk the grounds like two seasoned ladies on vacation and not like two friends
escaping death. The will to live has returned with a greater force than before.
Chi then takes an
unexpected turn, which surprises even though many Canadian film buffs should
know the outcome of Babz’s story. While Babz’s chi strengthens, her cancer
returns as vigorously and energetically as her spirit. Babz, like a true
actress, insists that the show must go on and she allows Anne to continue the
documentary as she enjoys her final days among family and friends. Her spirit
seems greater than ever as she approaches death.
At a brisk fifty-nine minutes, Chi moves fairly quickly, but I guess that life does too in its
final stages. The final act of Chi is
a moving tale nevertheless as Anne joins Babz for her last trip. Anne
speculates on Babz’s motivation for the journey and wonders whether it was the
treatment or the thought of making her last movie that drew her to India.
India, sunnier than rainy Vancouver, presents a place for enlightenment and
clarity. There’s a healing process to Chi,
just not one of physical renewal. Wheeler’s film, as she reflects upon Babz’s
death in voiceover, celebrates the will to live, even if this means accepting
death and making the best of the time one has left. Wheeler notes that it’s on
her death bed that Babz seems the most like herself—surrounding by people,
food, and laughter—since they started the film together.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Chi screens:
Saturday, April 27 – 8:00 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox
Monday, April 29 – 11:00 am at the Isabel Bader
Saturday, May 4 – 1:00 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox
Chi screens with Mary
& Myself (Dir. Sam Decoste), another NFB produced tale of a
tale between two female friends. I reviewed this vibrant animated film for Point of View (free copies are available
at the Hot Docs box office!), so I can’t repeat much of what I wrote elsewhere. However,
I can note the film as a “stroke of genius” since that phrase didn’t
make the final edit. Mary & Myself
is one of the best films, long or short, that you’ll see at the festival!
Please visit www.hotdocs.ca for more info on films,
tickets, and show times.
