Movies about cancer are a dime a dozen, we have everything from the heart-breaking romantic comedies where the poor woman is dying of cancer just as she finds love, to the dark gritty movies like My Sisters Keeper which make us cry for hours. What doesn’t usually happen though is a film about the reality of terminal cancer and clinical trials. I’m talking about those individuals who are diagnosed with terminal cancer and more often than not given an expiration date. What do you do with your time left? Well this film, Cancer’s Last Stand, explores that very subject.
In Cancer’s Last Stand a 29-year-old woman is diagnosed with terminal blood cancer, after going into remission twice already through the course of her life, now finds out she is terminal. The film opens on this young woman, Emily, being told how much time she has left, however there is a clinical trial that could pave the way for a cure for the cancer she has, but it will not cure her in time. She would be the guinea pig for this trail drug. After finding out her niece is diagnosed with the same blood cancer, Emily, played by the extremely talented Lilly Dennis, decides to undergo the trial. Emily’s Half-sister, Jackie, played by Quartay Denaya, is a single mother who is distraught over her daughters’ diagnosis. The film gives a unique insight into the inner workings of the clinical trial world in the US and how far people will go to secure places in certain lifesaving drug trials. The journey Emily takes at the end of her life in the hopes of helping others recover from this disease is a story of strength and undying love.
The film is currently in production and very little about the film is known apart from its synopsis. We know for certain that the lead of the film, Lilly Dennis, spoke about her filming experience recently, “I actually can’t really say that much about it as we are still in production, but I can say that this story is one I am very proud to be a part of telling. And the whole cast and crew are really excited for everyone to see it.” Dennis is also currently finishing a run of her one person show, Chocoholic and is receiving rave reviews for the Broadway award winning play. There is a lot of buzz surrounding this film and its unique story, so stay tuned to find out more about the upcoming film Cancer’s Last Stand.
