The Closer She Gets (2005) User Reviews

a tough subject, but an uplifting film

[andrewinthedistrict · 9/10 · 22 February 2005]

I went into "The Closer She Gets" knowing that it was the story of the filmmaker's mother fighting cancer. I expected it to be a very harrowing, depressing movie. And although the subject matter is certainly emotionally wrenching, the remarkable thing about this movie is the positive message it sends. It shows a family's total dedication to meet the challenge of cancer together. They refuse to lose faith in each other, even in the darkest moments.

The most moving moments to me are when this faith is revealed. Little comments that the mother and the family make to each other that reveal her (and their) will to survive, and their defiant emphasis on love and family togetherness. In this way it is an uplifting and profoundly hopeful film. We should all be so lucky as to be surrounded by family like this in times of serious illness.

A touching and an honest story told from an inside prospective.

[BrianErzen · 9/10 · 31 January 2005]

I saw this documentary film at the 2005 Slamdance independent film festival. This documentary is shot, directed and edited by a son (Craig) of his mother's year long battle with cancer. Shot over the course of one year "The closer she gets", is a documentary in the truest form and gives you an inside look of a family's struggle with battling with the cancer, the viewer gets an inside point of view of the effects cancer has on a family as well as the individual throughout the entire process. I have never seen such an honest film, this is a powerful and raw film, and since it wasn't shot by an outsider you get the true emotions of everyone involved. Many documentaries are shot by an outsider, but having this story told by the son adds another emotional level to the film, unlike any I have seen before on this subject or any other. This is a touching story that everyone should see, and can relate to. I would highly recommend it.

Unique and Touching Film

[catherine-81 · 8/10 · 15 March 2005]

This film is so different to anything you would have seen before. It's an honest and chilling account of an entire family's battle with a terminal illness.

'The Closer She Gets' is shot in a very unique style. Craig Oulette films in a very different way.... using different angles and viewpoints, in what i find is a very eye catching manner (perhaps due to his experience with photographic works).

His style gives such a clear picture of not only what the patient herself is facing, but what loved ones close to her also have to deal with.

A very sad, but extremely interesting and unique film. One I would definitely suggest watching.

Very Moving Film

[mapafilm-1 · 11 February 2005]

This film was incredibly moving without being self-indulgent or sentimental. It's one of the few films I've ever seen that deals with death on such a deep and personal level. A topic many of us have a difficult time with. The filmmaker did not shy away from showing us all the facets of watching a loved one die. The pain of seeing someone become a completely different person, the tragedy of watching their body deteriorate and the loss of regular communication. The filmmaker's family was exceptional and his mother was truly heroic and very human. While I cried through most of this film I did not feel manipulated. I was able to tap into my own experiences with death and in some ways gain a better understanding of them. Highly recommended.

This film will touch you. . . The Closer She Gets

[michaels_jackson · 10/10 · 11 August 2005]

The Closer She Gets... is an artful documentary dealing with the death of a person I actually knew. It allows a glimpse into the private moments of the family involved in the most trying time of their lives. Parents tend to support the work of their children, in this case the subject of the documentary went above and beyond. She was willing to share her death experience as an act of love for her son. It is a most touching work of art, weaving the serious, serene, and lighter sides of life for this family. The story is one which can make you laugh, but also cry as it addresses issues we all must face. I highly recommend this documentary to those unafraid to cry, and are willing to deal with the issue of mortality in a most human manner. This film will touch you.

An excellent chronicle of the filmmaker's mother's struggle with cancer.

[curioustroy · 8 February 2005]

This is a pretty devastating chronicle of the filmmaker's mother's struggle with what may be a brain tumor. I guess I was a bit aghast at first that someone faced with this situation would have the presence of mind to pick up a video camera and record it, but what results is a unique opportunity to vicariously live through what an excruciating experience that must be. The family is incredibly unselfconscious. The filmmaker has gotten some incredibly poignant material or chosen it well from what must have been a mountain of footage. I hope that some really positive, uplifting thing happens to the filmmaker and that his next documentary deals with this really positive, uplifting thing.