Although Meghan O'Hara's documentary was inspired by her own successful struggle with breast cancer, it is Dr. David Servan-Schreiber who emerges as the hero of this film. Diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at 31, French physician Servan-Schreiber underwent surgery but, after a recurrence, he became a proponent of “Anticancer”—an integrative mode of prevention standing in contrast to common medical practices that emphasize drugs and radiation to combat disease. As presented in interviews with Servan-Schreiber and footage of his TV lectures and book tours—as well as narration delivered by O'Hara and Morgan Freeman—the approach has four basic elements: nutrition, exercise, stress management, and avoidance of toxins. While some of the discussion sounds like common sense (the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle seem obvious), the film also deals with subjects such as the obesity epidemic triggered by overdependence on processed foods containing sugar and other ingredients that might be potential carcinogens. The notion that further governmental regulation of the food industry should be resisted on the grounds that it represents an infringement of individual liberty is countered by the Mississippi lawyer who was instrumental in ultimately forcing the tobacco industry to admit the dangers of their product (and led major tobacco companies to invest, ironically, in processed foods). Using graphs, animation, and pop culture clips (including excerpts from comic Jim Gaffigan's standup routine), The C Word combines Servan-Schreiber's story with O'Hara's to make a powerful argument regarding contemporary health hazards. Extras include related featurettes. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
The C Word
(2016) 93 min. DVD: $24.99. Virgil Films (avail. from most distributors). Closed captioned. Volume 32, Issue 3
The C Word
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: