Wit (TV Movie 2001)

Wit: Directed by Mike Nichols. With Emma Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Atkins, Audra McDonald. A renowned professor is forced to reassess her life when she is diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer.

“A female professor–wry, canny, tough, fragile–goes through a wrenching medical experience fighting ovarian cancer. Made-for-cable movie that looks great on TV, but would it also play successfully on the big screen? In this case, yes, but television–being a far more intimate medium–certainly allows the viewer a birdu0026#39;s-eye glimpse into this story about sickness. Just because u0026quot;Witu0026quot; isnu0026#39;t on the movie screen doesnu0026#39;t mean itu0026#39;s not an all-encompassing, breathtaking drama. Director Mike Nichols hasnu0026#39;t been this focused in a long time (he flashes around in this womanu0026#39;s life with uncanny accuracy, and always returns to the present at just the right moment). The pacing of the movie is gentle but not doddering; this isnu0026#39;t a melodrama about pity, nor is it a medical expose or a squeamish thing with lots of needles. It is a quietly absorbing, exceptionally well-rounded chapter of a womanu0026#39;s life, and that woman–Emma Thompson, doing precise and brilliant work–is an embraceable subject. We let her into our hearts, making the finale that much more emotional.”