Not Afraid to Laugh

What the woman in this video is not afraid to laugh at is her breast cancer, and to that end we see brief snippets of Devorah Cutler-Rubenstein's stand-up act and meet several of her alter egos. We are also privy to a no-holds barred look at parts of her cancer "odyssey": a needle being inserted into her vein for a chemo treatment, her breast being marked before surgery, an acupuncture needle being inserted into her forehead, and her hair's wispy appearance before she became totally bald. An acting coach and former studio executive, Cutler-Rubenstein tells us about the Chinese theory of cancer being a break in the mind-body-spirit communication, allowing that where once her goals were to broker four deals a day, she found that just "waking up" was goal enough during her illness. Though her script is honest and inspiring, and Cutler-Rubenstein herself is appealing and forthcoming, the video is a tad too scattered and disjointed (not to mention short), with borderline production values and little medical information besides. (And it bugged me that on the video she never introduced herself or her occupation, or mentioned when she got cancer, or talked about the outcome.) A marginal library purchase, especially in view of all the other excellent breast cancer support tapes already available, such as Breast Cancer Journey and Living With Cancer (both VL-3/99) or Between Us: A First-Aid Kit for Your Heart & Soul (VL Online). Aud: P. (K. Glaser)