Mercedes Cancer

Based on a true experience, this scene shows Mercedes, normally a tough, confident firebrand, facing her cancer with raw honesty. Jen Metcalfe's performance was remarkable.

It was important the shots didn't prevent the audience from sharing this most intimate of scenes on their own terms. Directors can inadvertently place themselves in between the viewer and the character by adding a perhaps interesting shot, but it actually jumps us out of the moment.

Tempting though it was to create a range of perspectives and detail, I wanted the viewer to see her whole range of full emotions, from her desolate numbness, through grief, worry, laughter and love. The changes to Mercedes body visually speak for themselves but, more importantly, I wanted the viewer to watch how Mercedes processes what has happened to her own body and identity on their own terms.