After a chance encounter with Regina, a seventeen-year old struggling with cancer, Henry Corra, a well-respected documentary filmmaker, became inspired by the young girl's spirit. Being passionate about cinema, Regina has always aspired to be a filmmaker and through this chance encoumter the two form a special bond, with Henry vowing to help Regina make her film about her life. Henry Corra & Regina Nicholson's Farewell To Hollywood is a deeply effective portrait of a young woman's battle with cancer. Intricate in approach, Farewell to Hollywood is not an easy film to experience, never holding back in detailing the countless treatments and overall lack of hope this disease instills in not only it's victims but anyone and everyone who loves them as well. Like any great documentary, Farewell to Hollywood is constantly evolving in front of the viewers very eyes, as Regina's condition strips her completely of her independence and causes incredible strife. This is what I found so compelling about Farewell to Hollywood, how vividly the film is in documenting the destructive capabilites of cancer. This is demonstrated through Regina's parents, two well intentioned individuals who grow incredibly hostile and posessive. While the father's coping mechanism entails ignoring his daughter's suffering due to his inability to deal with it himself, Regina's mother threatens to smother her daughter, selfishly wanting to spend every waking second with her. With Regina about to become a legal adult, her lack of independence, even in the face of this horrible disease, fractures the family unit, with Henry, the filmmaker, being the only one capable of looking past himself and seeing how important this film is to Regina. While the film's intentions may be written off as exploitative by some, Farewell To Hollywood is a provocative portrait of love, life, and art, delivering beautifully realized portrait of the fragility of life, the importance of doing what you love, and the difficulties of coping with the loss of a loved one.
1 Comment
Rebeccah
7/2/2022 11:30:11 am
Do you have a copy of this film I can borrow or purchase, please?
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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