Cake

2015 • 102 minutes

About this movie

Claire Simmons becomes obsessed with the suicide of Nina, a woman in her chronic pain support group. As Claire discovers details about Nina's suicide and develops a poignant relationship with Nina's widowed husband, Claire also grapples with her own very intense personal tragedy.

Ratings and reviews

Where it falls down is the meandering and ultimately the moralizing. The film does hit on some daily struggles in a chronic pain patients life but it was hyjacked by stereotypes and played it safe on controversial topics, a lot of it was completely unrealistic (eg character goes off opiates and magically gets better, how exactly? Millions of pain patients would like that miracle cure). The way the film deals with opiates in particular only adds to the stigma and marginalization patients experience every day and reinforces the hysterical policies patient groups are fighting to bring common sense to, not good for a film about empathy and reconnection. The characters have the luxury of their views, the medical and political professions will protect their corner and the media and anti drug groups will sensationalize but when a writer whimps out by caving into politicized and popularised wishful thinking the crediblity of everything they built goes out the window, it's lazy storytelling. When dealing with a tough topic the writers allegiance should be to the people written about, not to the outside worlds view of them, for many watching this will be their only perspective on chronic pain patients, to misrepresent an already maligned and vulnerable group in such a way is irresponsible.

Excellent acting, sustained dramatic tension , great pacing and direction, very impressed with the production value overall... The problem for me was that the theme was totally and utterly depressing. I'm not sure if I missed what it was trying to say, or whether "living with chronic pain is agony" was it? I feel like something was missing - most films/stories this depressing at least try to make some broader point or leave the viewer with a glimmer of hope but in this case I feel like I spent 2 hours as a voyeur to someone else's abject misery. So points for style, but overall not my idea of an entertaining night in, sorry.

Great acting by Jennifer Aniston, she played the part really well of being in severe pain .