The Widowmaker (Forbes, 2015)

Last updated on: February 26, 2015 at 9:29 pm by Kenneth R. Morefield

The Widowmaker (Forbes, 2015) 2015-02-26T21:29:33-05:00 Kenneth R. Morefield

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We are told at the beginning of The Widowmaker, Patrick Forbes’s slow but efficient documentary, that more Americans (600,000) die from heart attacks each year than from all forms of cancer combined.

It’s a fairly straight line from that starting point to the film’s conclusion that coronary artery scanning–the so-called heart mammogram–could save lives if utilized more. That it takes the film longer to get there than it should does not disqualify the film from being labelled persuasive. Yes, it probably would have been equally, if not more, effective as an hour-long news report than as a ninety minute film. But ultimately the film’s impact, while diluted by its padding, is not totally blunted.

Given the history of the conflicts between proponents of scanning and those advocating the promotion of shunts, the documentary can be forgiven for proceeding slowly in laying out its case. Ultimately, it is not trying to make an argument that scanning works: after some preliminary description, it takes that as a given. The film is actually trying to answer the question of why, given the advantages of scanning, we as a culture have been so slow to adopt it.

Some of the answers to that question, while predictable, are nevertheless shocking. Medical technology is a huge industry, with careers and dollars on the line. Not only is there money invested in the procedures themselves, but there are also cottage industries developed around training, marketing, and education.

Insurance companies also take their turn in the cross-hairs. The claim is made that many insurance companies will pay $50,000 for a shunt but not $100 for a test. The reason. “The system is not set up to reward prevention,” one interviewee remarks wryly. Given the average length of most insurance policies, the chillingly perverse logic is that the (monetary) savings–the money the company doesn’t have to spend as the result of scanning finding an at-risk patient before a heart attack–will most likely be money that would have been paid by some other company down the road.

The most persuasive element of the argument? After former President Bill Clinton reveal much publicized heart health issues even though he had lost weight, it was determined that all future presidents would get scans. If you want to know what technology the rich and powerful really believe in, maybe pay less attention to their public statements about what is good for you and more attention to what they perceive as being good for them.

Also, the film scores some ethos points by allowing proponents of shunts to have their say. It’s refreshing in a post-Michael Moore age to see attempts to at least articulate the other side of an argument rather than merely hold it up for ridicule. That said, the film does clearly take a position; it does not fall into the NPRish “let’s just summarize both sides and let the viewers decide” trap.

If there was a part of the documentary I would trim, it would have been the testimonials from those who had undergone heart attacks. For the most part I appreciate documentarians trying to put a human face on a problem, but here it felt a bit like (no pun intended) overkill.

That quibble aside, director Patrick Forbes and narrator Gillian Anderson are to be commended for tackling a multifaceted topic. It’s a cliche, but this is a movie that could, quite literally, save lives.

Previous Post

February 26, 2015

Coming Soon: Bite Size, Libera in America

Next Post

February 28, 2015 Farewell to Hollywood (Corra and Nicholson, 2015)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 10 Years Later 1999 Top 5 2007 Top 10 2008 Favorite Discoveries 2008 Top 10 2009 Favorite Discoveries 2009 Top 10 2010 Favorite Discoveries 2010 Top 10 2011 Top 10 2012 Top Ten 2013 Top Ten 2014 Top Ten Best Picture Winners Christian Spotlight on Entertainment Christianity Today Coming Soon Disclosure Disclosure--AS Disclosure--Book Disclosure--DVDS Disclosure--SEOL Disclosure--Travel Dissenting Opinion Elsewhere Emergenetics Essays Featured Film Fest DC--2014 Film Festivals Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2010 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2011 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2012 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2013 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2014 Headline Interviews Laura on the Oscar Winners Podcasts Quick Impressions Reviews RiverRun Film Festival 2014 Television The Criterion Collection The Thin Place To Stream or Not to Stream? Top 10s and Other Lists Toronto International Film Festival 2009 Toronto International Film Festival 2010 Toronto International Film Festival 2011 Toronto International Film Festival 2012 Toronto International Film Festival 2013 Toronto International Film Festival 2014 Uncategorized Video Virginia Film Festival 2011 Virginia Film Festival 2013 Women's Film Festival 2012

Select a Month February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, what did the younger son demand?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A feast Forgiveness The best robe His inheritance