Wammovie is feature length documentary film that will show the human drama of facing disease, the end of life and a person’s right to choose how they deal with both. This film is based on footage and interviews collected over the past four years of volunteer work with a collective of patients and caregivers called the Wo/men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM).
Wammovie is the story of patients and caregivers fighting for their right to choose what medicine is most suitable for their particular circumstance. It is the story of faith in the power of collective compassion and one of ultimate loss. Wammovie is the account of Jackie, a caregiver who came to WAMM as a skeptic and emerged as an advocate. Jackie bakes medicinal muffins for her friends because she thinks that they deserve a break from nausea or constant pain. Even if the relief she provides is a brief moment it is worth every ounce of effort. It is the story of Jeremy, an HIV/AIDS patient who delights in helping others in need access their medicine. He was diagnosed over 20 years ago and has watched many friends succumb to a disease that he was sure would have taken him long ago. It is the story of Dianne who has battled breast cancer and won. She signifies her victory by transforming her mastectomy scar into a powerful image of beauty and strength. Her emergence as a survivor has inspired her to educate others about breast cancer.
Wammovie is about surviving and making positive experiences out of every moment but it is also about letting go and being present for the exquisite journey to the end of life. Lucy is dying of ovarian cancer; she has been for some time. She is afraid but struggling to hold things together for her 15-year-old daughter that she has been raising by herself. As Lucy’s conditions worsen a team of her loved ones swing into action to provide round the clock care. Lucy’s care team did not set out to nurse her back to health or even to extend her life. They were there to ensure that her quality of life was as best as possible and that the end was as she wanted it.
Wammovie is about the life that happens after the worst has been faced and there is nowhere left to go but forward. That is the time when being alive really is about the very moment of existence that you experience. In this story, a young woman, Lucy’s daughter was forced to grow up too early; she lost her mother to ovarian cancer yet found another place to call home with her mother’s friend and deathbed companion Valerie Corral. In this story, Jackie finds love with another WAMM member and is married at a joyous occasion that takes the place of a previously planned triple memorial. According to Val, The connection between the marriage and the memorial is a transcendence into love. Wammovie is about our transcendence into love.