Decoding Annie Parker

Samantha Morton stars as real-life cancer sufferer Annie Parker, a dogged if genetically and romantically unlucky lady in this "labour of love" independent production from co-writer and director Steven Bernstein. After the demise of several of her loved ones, Parker refuses to believe that diet or environmental factors are causing their disease. In a parallel story, Helen Hunt plays Dr Mary-Claire King, a geneticist researching the link between genetics and breast cancer. Eventually, the two women's stories intertwine, albeit not in a satisfying way, as Hunt phones in her performance, leaving Morton to carry the film single-handedly. But this is still a poignant independent film for breast cancer sufferers and those who love them.