The movie ‘Cake’ starring Jennifer Anniston as Claire, who is an accident survivor struggling with chronic pain and emotional pain was really hard to watch.
It was very slow in the beginning and I felt like it dragged on and was taking driver to ‘get anywhere’.
Anniston, in my opinion, completely captured what the struggle of many people with chronic pain, emotional pain, and dependence on pharmaceuticals can look like. I found myself thinking to myself, ‘wow, she looks and moves and acts just like a friend that I have that gas chronic pain’.
I’ve never seen Anniston look so haggard and ‘un-put-together’, but it certainly lent credence to the role.
Anniston is tended to by her housekeeper Silvana (Adriana Barraza) who tries her best to keep Claire on track. I think she did a really good job of portraying the frustrations of trying to help someone who won’t help themselves and seems to not want to help themselves sometimes.
Parts of the movie were physically difficult for me to watch, and I did spend most of the last half of the movie in tears.
I don’t think its a movie that everyone would enjoy seeing because it can be slow, and very emotionally taxing, but its a good portrayal of a person with chronic pain and how it affects them and those around them and the struggles they face daily.
I would give this movie
3.5 out of 5 stars
