Chi

Anyone who knew Babz Chula—a talented, larger-than-life actress—could tell you that her life force, or chi, was incredibly strong. When Babz reconnected with director Anne Wheeler in 2009, they discovered a mutual interest: India. Babz easily convinces Anne to join her on a journey to Kerala, where 63-year-old Babz will undergo treatment by a renowned Ayurvedic healer in an effort to rid herself of the cancer that has been threatening her life for the last six years. Anne suggests she bring her camera and film the treatment, and Babz enthusiastically agrees. Not all goes according to plan when they arrive; the center is far less sophisticated than Babz anticipated, and she is very ill from her last round of chemotherapy and the long journey. But, after six weeks of treatments, introspection, and laughs with Anne at the bare-bones clinic, Babz seems to show considerable physical and psychic improvement. At least that’s what Anne believes is happening, until they return home and it is revealed that Babz’s cancer has spread—new tumors are present and she has weeks, if not just days, to live. And now all the things they’d pondered in India, like facing death without fear or a belief in a God, become an imminent reality. Amazingly, the irrepressible Babz invites Anne and her camera to continue bearing witness to her journey into the unknown.