Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
When the UK director and artist Victoria Mapplebeck was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, she began using her iPhone to chronicle her experience as a patient and single mother. Constructed from text messages, voicemails, snippets from video diaries, intimate conversations with her teenage son, Jimmy, and shots of the dreary parade of doctor’s visits, her film The Waiting Room is a remarkably warm and honest account of the ups and downs of cancer treatment. At the core of the story are Mapplebeck’s candour and her relationship with Jimmy, entwined threads that allow the film to incorporate such an eclectic range of media and turn mundane moments into something deeply moving. Without any veneer of Pollyannaish cheerleading or facile self-pity, Mapplebeck’s invitation into the intimacy of her experience offers no easy answers. It does, however, encourage compassion and communication as somehow essential to pulling through.
Director: Victoria Mapplebeck
Website: Guardian Documentaries
video
Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes
video
Work
A Swedish expat in the Philippines wonders: what’s up with people sleeping at work?
14 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
The unique life philosophy of Abdi, born in Somalia, living in the Netherlands
29 minutes
video
Cognition and intelligence
What’s this buzz about bees having culture? Inside a groundbreaking experiment
8 minutes
video
Earth science and climate
The only man permitted in Bhutan’s sacred mountains chronicles humanity’s impact
22 minutes
video
Cosmology
The Indian astronomer whose innovative work on black holes was mocked at Cambridge
13 minutes
video
The ancient world
An ancient Roman’s hilarious (and perhaps relatable) response to a social snub
2 minutes
video
Love and friendship
After his son’s terrorist attack, Azdyne seeks healing – and his granddaughter
25 minutes
video
Astronomy
Seven years later, what can we make of our first confirmed interstellar visitor?
59 minutes