“A Poem From Anna” is a short film (~15 mins) that delves into chronic illness experiences and perceptions through the lens of a middle-aged woman. The film features Ramona Milano and Marc Bondy. Milano is a two-time Gemini-nominated actress and Bondy is an actor, director and teacher with and for many of Canada’s finest theatres. The story explores how we can co-exist while maintaining different values, and how to love others who are not aware of their own limitations. This project is inspired by my interest in creating social impact narratives that showcase individuals dealing with chronic illnesses.
This film is about Anna, who lives with a mental and physical disability – diabetes and psychosis. Because of the nature of her disabilities, she’s unable to function independently, needing her partner, an experimental filmmaker, as her caregiver. Despite her illnesses, Anna is in denial about the seriousness of her condition as she does not believe in conventional medicine. She refuses to take any medications or treatments for either her mental or physical illness. She insists on natural treatments to build self-immunity, something her partner, John, tries hard to convince her against.
With my background in health, I am inspired by the long tradition of physician-writers including: Anton Chekov, Oliver Sacks, Nawal El Saadawi, and Khaled Khosseini. My filmmaking style has been influenced by myriad directors. These include the hand-held gritty style of Andrea Arnold, social impact dramas by Ken Loach whose work is based on real-life social circumstances, the contemplative, reflexive nature of Yasujirō Ozu’s films, feminist sensibility of Agnès Varda, and dramatization of marginalized communities by Ava DuVernay, one of the most celebrated woman of colour filmmakers whom I look up to as a woman of color myself. I admire these directors’ commitment to visualizing the multi-layered nature of individual and intersecting social issues.
My short film aims to give the audience a visceral sense of chronic disease experience, both through the viewpoint of an individual who has the illness and those who are caregivers. This multilayered portrayal allows the film to connect to audience members who have been either patients or caregivers (as children, parents, colleagues, friends, etc.). Even though illness experiences are often shunned or overlooked in our society, the majority of people have experienced them and will relate to them. Although this film is targeted to speak to an audience with health challenges, its scope inherently expands out of a tight niche due to its subject matter.
