Cast: David Wilkinson (narrator) Review by Carol Allen
The title refers to the grim statistic that one in two of us can expect to get cancer at some point in our lives. Bowel cancer in particular though, as Wilkinson, who is now seventy years of age, discovers in the course of his journey, while once considered an old person’s disease, is now hitting much younger people. And in the course of the film, as well as charting his own treatment, he highlights the experiences of some of those much younger than him. People who contract the disease in their 30s, 40s and 50s, many of them women with young children, who are still hoping to survive long enough to see those children grow up.
He is particularly concerned about the difficulty younger people have in getting diagnosed at an early enough stage for treatment to be effective, with doctors dismissing their symptoms as something else. The women he talks to had to wait literally years before diagnosis and treatment. Early treatment saves lives.
Because of their late diagnosis, some of those in the film have since died. One story I find particularly moving is that of Milli Tanner, who was in her late teens when she realised something was wrong. It took her three years to persuade the medical profession to diagnose her. She is still alive but as a result she faces the rest of her life with a stoma bag and will never have children.
The film is though also charting Wilkinson’s own journey, as he discusses his treatment with his consultant, Ravindhi Murphy, as well as questioning her on the wider issues, such as possible reasons for the dramatic rise in younger people getting the disease. He talks a lot to camera, often humorously, as he endures the latest round of chemotherapy and is seen joking with the hospital staff.
He is also very frank in terms of talking about the sort of bodily functions we tend to shy away from – matters such as the need to keep a check on your bowel functions, what it is like for someone dealing with a stoma bag and most of all, the importance, whatever your age, of insisting on being tested if you suspect something is wrong. As he puts it, this film could literally save your life.
The film is not only a personal journey but an informative one, looking at the disease from all angles – the emotional response, the treatment, the research and what support is available, most particularly from the cancer charity Maggie’s, where the proceeds of the film’s screenings will be donated to support their work.
As the star of his own film, Wilkinson rarely complains about what he is going through. He observes, he describes, he asks questions, he listens. But at one point he allows himself to express his anger, not just for his own situation but for all those other sufferers too, as he turns to camera and screams: “F…k cancer, F…k, f..k, f..k, f..k, f..king cancer.” We can but empathise.
1 IN 2 is in UK Cinemas from 13th November 2026. A list of screenings can be found here https://linktr.ee/GuerillaFilms
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