Chi is director Anne Wheeler's tribute to and documentation of the final days of renowned local actor, Babz Chula.
Chula is in the final stages of terminal cancer when she learns of an Indian miracle cure. After exhausting all avenues western medicine has to offer, she and Wheeler set off to India to find the famed health retreat.
Wheeler captures Chula's very intimate and personal transition from the aftermath of western chemotherapy to the preliminary stages of what appears to be a miraculous remission.
Wheeler attempts to inject humour into the story with a clip of her and Chula after sneaking away on a secretive shopping spree. This backfires horribly. It isn't funny at all. It isn't a final exam they are playing with here it is Chula's life, and this is uncomfortably clear as the audience shifts in their seats. It is previously, clearly stated that Chula is on a strict regime that can only be effective with conscious and willful adherence if her health is to improve.
The pair return to Canada, Chula's regime is neglected, and it isn't long before her health declines once again. Chula eventually succumbs to her illness placing a bookend on a heart-wrenching story of strength, endurance, and reconciliation as her family gathers around her.
Wheeler attempts to end her film with a poignant moment from Chula that encapsulates her spirit, but regretfully lands flat with a repetitive clip which detracts, if anything, from Chula's magnetic character.
Wheeler captures Chula's very intimate and personal transition from the aftermath of western chemotherapy to the preliminary stages of what appears to be a miraculous remission.
Wheeler attempts to inject humour into the story with a clip of her and Chula after sneaking away on a secretive shopping spree. This backfires horribly. It isn't funny at all. It isn't a final exam they are playing with here it is Chula's life, and this is uncomfortably clear as the audience shifts in their seats. It is previously, clearly stated that Chula is on a strict regime that can only be effective with conscious and willful adherence if her health is to improve.
The pair return to Canada, Chula's regime is neglected, and it isn't long before her health declines once again. Chula eventually succumbs to her illness placing a bookend on a heart-wrenching story of strength, endurance, and reconciliation as her family gathers around her.
Wheeler attempts to end her film with a poignant moment from Chula that encapsulates her spirit, but regretfully lands flat with a repetitive clip which detracts, if anything, from Chula's magnetic character.
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