Pink Ribbons, Inc.
Directed by: Léa Pool
Cast: Dr. Susan Love, Barbara Ehrenreich
Running Time: 1 hour 40 mins
Rating: Not Rated
Showtimes at PIFF: Wednesday 2/22 8:30pm at Cinema 21 and Saturday 2/25 3:30pm at Whitsell Auditorium Complete PIFF Schedule
PLOT: This Canadian doc looks at the big business behind breast cancer charities as well as companies who profit off breast cancer while possibly causing it.
WHO'S IT FOR? Anyone who was outraged at Komen's recent attempt to pull grants from Planned Parenthood. If that makes you mad, this may cause a coronary.
OVERALL
Breast cancer is a horrible disease that strikes one in eight women. But it's curable and early detection can keep you from dying. That's what I thought before I saw this movie, now I'm appalled at how naive I was. Pink Ribbons, Inc. isn't about pointing fingers or finding a bad guy, it's going to show you how deeply flawed the whole system is, and that's disturbing. The film is very polished and informative, it features some of the most prominent breast cancer specialists, like Dr. Susan Love, author of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, the go-to guide for anyone diagnosed with the disease. They also speak to survivors, like Barbara Ehrenreich, a journalist who's level-headed observations cut through all the platitudes surrounding breast cancer in this country. It's a sobering film. My one problem is that it has so much information and goes in so many directions, I almost feel like they should have focused more on the money behind breast cancer charities and leave the rest for other films.
This film is required viewing for anyone with breasts, or anyone who loves someone with breasts. I don't say this lightly, it's a serious examination of a disease we, as a country, need to start thinking about as a national problem. Ladies, you might even leave the theater thinking you may never wear makeup again, just consider that a small sacrifice.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10