Dear Talula

Fourteen months after giving birth to her daughter Talula, 38-year-old Manhattan filmmaker Lori Benson was diagnosed with breast cancer. Drawing on help from her husband and friends, Benson documented her experience in the HBO-aired Dear Talula. Since cancer runs in Benson's family, the news is not unprecedented, but it still comes as a surprise (Benson is of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jew descent, which increases her risk, and Benson lost a half-sister to the disease a decade before). Because the cancer is spreading quickly, a mastectomy is unavoidable, and after Benson has had time to recover, she undergoes a round of chemotherapy treatments, followed by preparations for reconstructive surgery. Aside from her own thoughts and reactions, Benson includes comments from her father, stepfather, and oncologist, and as the film concludes, she is happy and healthy, although well aware that things could change at any moment. At 34 minutes, Dear Talula doesn't even pretend to offer a comprehensive look at breast cancer, but the film—which was short-listed by the Academy Award nominating committee for Best Documentary Short—does present a compelling overview of one woman's courageous battle. DVD extras include the short film Who's on Your Team? (with survivors talking about their support systems), a DVD-ROM breast cancer guidebook, and a featurette on the filmmaker (which includes her guest appearance on The View). Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)