Breath Taken

"I live in hell. I can't wash myself, dress, or eat. I can't breathe. I pray to God every night to take my life. I get up in the morning and I'm disappointed that I'm still here." Joe Darabant, suffering from an asbestos-related disease had his prayers answered shortly after the making of this powerful examination of the asbestos industry and its ill effects on the lives of workers. Comprised of interviews from authors, physicians, and victims, director Bill Ravanesi's film was made to accompany a photographic exhibit which is currently touring the U.S. Many of the interviewees worked in the John Mansville Textile Company plant in Mansville, NJ ("The Asbestos City"), where from exposure to tiny mineral filaments they later contracted lung disease, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. An estimated 20 million people have been occupationally exposed, and asbestos-related deaths are currently running between twelve and thirteen thousand per year. Breath Taken is a shocking and painful documentary which traces the history of the asbestos industry, its attempts to stave off legislation by bribing doctors to offer suitable court testimony, and the environmental threat that asbestos still poses today. Disturbing and enraging, Breath Taken offers solid evidence of director Ravanesi's (whose father died of mesothelioma) claim that "corporate America has declared the worker expendable." Highly recommended. (Available from: Fanlight Productions, 47 Halifax St., Boston, MA 02130.)