ANALYSIS OF MOVIE “WIT”

The movie “Wit” is a jarring glimpse into the delivery of healthcare, particularly for people dealing with life-threatening diagnosis. It is specific to cancer treatment and offers insight into the struggles these patients sometimes have with their providers. It also details the emotional, physical and mental struggles of Vivian Bearing from the moment she receives the news of her diagnosis from her physician to the moment that the medical team botches her death. It is this end that, perhaps, the most jarring scene of all. Bering has opted not to be resuscitated (DNR) and this is a fact of which her regular nurse is aware. However, the medical team that moves in when her heart stops did not read her chart, and thus they attempt to revive her. They are roughly administering live-saving treatment when Bearing’s nurse rushes into the room to stop them. Bearing’s is left exposed on the bed while the team carelessly leaves the room, frustrated that the wrong call was made in terms of the DNR. Bearing dies without the dignity that she desired when she made the decision not to be resuscitated.

The film delves deep into the relationship Bearing has with her provider team. Her doctor is very clinical in his approach towards her care, perhaps because he is more interested in the knowledge that he is gaining from her case than he is in her actual experience. One of her former students is also working with her doctor on her case, and he is also more interested in the result from her experimental treatment than he is her as a person. In fact, the person who displays the most warmth towards Bearing in her entire treatment process is her regular nurse, Susie. Susie becomes something of a friend to Bearing during her treatment. As Bearing is without friends or family to help her, this kind of warmth is exactly what she needs.

The film portrays care providers in a very clinical and callous manner. From the doctor that delivers her news and administers her care to the team that mistakenly tries to revive her after death, everyone seems to be more interested in the results of her treatment and moving on to the new cog in the wheel than they do in preserving any sense of human dignity for Bearing. In terms of cancer treatment, Wit is certainly not a comfortably portrayal of the way that it happens and how much the medical team empathizes with the experience of the patient.

Nursing is the MOST vital role in Bearing’s experience because her nurse is the most compassionate of all healthcare professionals in the film. Her nurse helps her through every aspect of this very challenging treatment and takes the time to learn more about Bearing as an individual. Susie is very human and allows Bearing to display her emotions-especially the fear of having a cancer she is not likely to survive. She adds the warmth to the movie and gives Bearing someone tangible on which to lean through the entire horrible ideal. Bearing’s nurse is her lifeline in more ways than one.

Reference:

HBO Films. (2013, May 2). Wit [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0PPvYlGqL8