Bonus Movie: Five

I was watching the Lifetime for women channel one day and i caught an amazing film called "Five" The groundbreaking original movie  is an anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people’s lives. The movie highlights the shared experience each short film’s title character endures from the moment of diagnosis, through an interconnected story arc that uses humor and drama to focus on the effect breast cancer and its different stages of diagnosis have on relationships and the way women perceive themselves while searching for strength, comfort, medical breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure. 

(airs again Wed Apr 18 at 8 PM on LMN) Directed by Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, Demi Moore, Patty Jenkins  and Penelope Spheeris 

Demi Moore's piece, "Charlotte," the first of "Five," is a flashback to 1969, a time when emotions, cancer and death were just whispered discussions among adults. Told from a child's point of view, viewers feel the confusion, mystery and sadness of 7-year-old Pearl who can't understand why her mom, Charlotte , is so sick. It doesn't help that none of the adults, especially her despondent father , ever tells her the truth.  Jennifer Aniston is behind the camera for "Mia," a unique look at a cancer patient's unexpected second chance.  "Cheyanne," directed by Penelope Spheeris, focuses on the atypical in terms of diagnosis, culture and image  but is possibly the most moving. Cheyanne is a newlywed stripper whose husband Tommy is the muscle for a loan shark. Her diagnosis with a severe form of breast cancer is not only an economic hardship, it threatens her very identity. The juxtaposition of the tough and the tender is brought home as Tommy finds help and advice from the degenerate gambler Lenny he's hired to beat up. Similarly, Alicia Keys' story "Lili" is less about cancer itself than its effect on family and friends. Lili not only has to deal with her own diagnosis, but the reaction of her overbearing mother Maggie  and her competitive sister . The movie even features a man diagnosed with breast cancer. "Pearl" wraps up the project, not by tying loose ends together but by eloquently and poignantly bringing closure. 

Hannah