Outside In

Katherine Deutch Tatlock's nine-year-project documents one woman's unique approach to receiving a cancer diagnosis. With an astrophysicist for a father and a schizophrenic for a sister, it isn't a complete surprise that Katherine "Kasia" Clark became a doctor. The family practitioner was 42 when she found out she had advanced ovarian cancer, a disease more common in women over 60. Prior to that point, three gynecologists told her she had fibroids and didn't need surgery, but she knew something more serious was going on. Although she would beat the odds, her oncologist initially gave her one to two years. In telling Clark's story, Tatlock also includes comments from Clark's doctors, parents, and partner. Not one to take things easy or slow, Clark underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and psychotherapy, while also ramping up exercise (running, swimming, skiing, and rock climbing). Over the years, two additional surgeries would follow, although she experienced a six-year remission in between. The interdisciplinary exercise regimen would lead her to become a triathlete, and she also followed a strict diet and pursued a variety of artistic endeavors, ranging from violin playing to experimental filmmaking. She's especially forthcoming about some of her unusual treatments and unexpected reactions, like a primal scream-type process and an attraction to a male doctor, despite her 11-year relationship with a woman (Clark identifies herself as bisexual). She also successfully sued the doctors who misdiagnosed her. Clark's take-no-prisoners attitude will surely inspire some viewers, while putting off others, especially since she let her partnership suffer in her quest for new experiences. But who's to say how one should react when given such a dire prognosis? Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)