Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, October 9: A WOMAN LIKE ME
Alex Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti’s hybrid exploration of Sichel’s struggle with cancer debuted at SXSW this year. Screenings followed at Nantucket, BAMcinemaFest, Hot Docs, Frameline, Citizen Jane, and Woodstock.
I previously wrote about the film for Nantucket’s program, saying:
Faced with terminal breast cancer, filmmaker Alex Sichel finds solace in Buddhism, alternative medicine, and making a film about her fictional doppelganger confronting the same diagnosis, played by actress Lili Taylor. As Alex struggles to make sense of a death sentence, navigates the thorny problem of how to talk to her young daughter about cancer, and feels the strain the situation puts on her relationship with her husband, she finds reserves of strength and hope by channeling her efforts into her craft. Scenes from the fictional film she’s making are smartly interwoven with their real-life inspiration, demonstrating the power of art to illuminate reality and create a space of transformative reflection.
what (not) to doc 