Page 93 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 4

treatment. Pro-life advocates, including President Bush, weighed in on the
case. Finally, in 2005, Ms. Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed.
Just Like Heaven tells the story of Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon),
an attending physician at a San Francisco hospital. In the beginning of
the film, Elizabeth is the victim of an automobile accident, which leaves
her in a coma. Within the context of the film, there is no question that
Elizabeth is alive. Although she is comatose, Elizabeth is in fact alert
and is able to leave her body. She returns to her apartment and falls in
love with its new resident, David (Mark Ruffalo).
Only by accepting this premise does the rest of the story make sense.
The plot involves efforts by Elizabeth and David to prevent doctors from
removing her life-support system. Elizabeth had signed a living will
authorizing a physician to end her life under these circumstances. The
physician who wants to “pull the plug” is cast as the unprincipled villain
in the story. Film reviewer Victoria Alexander declares that this film had
an influence on her attitudes toward the issue of euthanasia:

Just Like Heaven is a solid, thought-provoking movie. Coming on the
heels of the Terry Schiavo case, this movie makes a grand step forward
in not pulling the damn plug on anyone. No matter what they once said.
For the record, this is my declaration: If it ever happens to me, keep that
damn feeding tube in. I want all heroic, expensive, and controversial
procedures. 22

Plot

Media communicators often incorporate current events into their plots.
For instance, in January 2006, director Mahesh Bhatt announced plans to
produce a Bollywood film entitled Suicide Bomber (Bollywood is a term
used to describe India’s booming film industry.) This film was inspired
by the terrorist bombings in London the previous July. The film tells the
story of a would-be suicide bomber struggling to reconcile the message
of radical Islam with the Islamic belief in peace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Bhatt contends that

Muslims are demonized by the western nations especially after the so-
called war on terror. The gulf between Muslims and the rest of the world
is widening. The film will be an attempt to clarify Islam is not demonic
and to delve into the mind of a young suicide bomber to try to find out
what drives him to reject life for a violent death. 23

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