Wit
A made-for-television movie, Wit addresses issues related to terminal illness, death, and dying. Emma Thompson plays Vivian Bearing, a professor of literature enraptured with erudite poetry like that of John Donne. When she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Bearing's life changes dramatically. At first, Bearing goes the traditional route of succumbing to paternalistic medicine's approach to treatment. She obeys her doctor's orders, goes through chemotherapy, and generally struggles with the idea that she has an illness. A precocious woman, Bearing flashes back to a series of events in her life that place her personality and value system into perspective. Ultimately, Bearing comes to terms with the core essence of life as she goes through the stages of dying. She realizes that caring and compassion trump personal, intellectual, and career achievements.
The people who do and do not visit her in the hospital teach her...
Issues raised in Wit are clearly pertinent to
nursing, giving the emphasis on caring and palliative care. Nurses in the
film provide a level of care that trumps that of the cotros and even some of the friends and family members. Bearing can see the pitfalls and drawbacks of buying into the paternalistic medicine package, as she starts to compare that
worldview to her own. Doctors like Posner treat Bearing with disregard. She is not someone they care about with their hearts but only with their minds, as her
cancer becomes a project they work on to further their
career goals.
The experience is a great awakening for Bearing. The film raises questions about the quality of
healthcare, the ways doctors and patients communicate, and the way doctors and
nurses communicate with each other.
Ethical issues such as medical paternalism are also raised. I gain a lot from watching and re-watching Wit. The film seems to…
