The film 50/50 (2011), directed by Jonathan Levine and produced by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, and Ben Karlin, presents an accurate depiction of cancer through the diagnosis and treatment of a cancer patient named Adam. However, the diagnosis of a disease is not enough to view an individual’s experience as a cohesive whole, as personal and environmental factors play vital roles in an individual’s quality of life with an illness (World Health Organization, 2002). The World Health Organization (2002) provides an appropriate medium, the ICF model, to evaluate the impact of cancer on the individual at the physiological, personal, and social levels.
The Illness Experience Adam Lerner is a young, happy-go-lucky …show more content…
His best friend, Kyle, does everything he can to support Adam, from driving him to chemotherapy to taking him out to pick up women, but Adam believes he is simply using the cancer for his own personal gain. However, after Adam discovers Kyle’s “Battling Cancer Together,” he realizes Kyle cares for him and has his quality of life in mind as he does everything he can to make him feel comfortable and social. On the other hand, Adam’s girlfriend, Rachael, ostracizes him as she abandons him during chemotherapy, picks him up late, neglects him sexually, and cheats on him. While attending chemotherapy, Adam befriends two older cancer patients, Alan and Mitch, and the three often share their stories with illness, normalizing Adam’s feelings and symptoms. Dr. McKay, Adam’s therapist, is understanding of his situation and assures Adam that everything he is experiencing is expected. She truly cares for Adam as she drives Adam home from chemotherapy and shows up at the hospital following his surgery. Overall, Kyle’s environment has a mixed impact on his quality of life as some factors better his experience, whereas others have the opposite effect (Goldberg et al.,