Two Voices (1997) starring Mary McDonnell, Gail O'Grady, Richard Gilliland, Nicolas Surovy, Fredric Lehne, Casey Biggs directed by Peter Levin Movie Review

Two Voices (1997)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Mary McDonnell in Two Voices (1997)

Breast Women

Prior to watching "Two Voices" the only other movie I had watched that dealt with the subject of faulty breast implants was "Breast Men" an entertaining look at the men behind silicone implants rather than the affect of the faulty implants on the individual. "Two Voices" focuses on the story of two women Sybil Goldrich and Kathleen Anneken who both suffered faulty implants and took on the system to highlight the risks and the lack of information given to women before surgery. It is an effective and informative drama which not only highlights a lot of facts but also how the women's campaign affected them and their families.

After having reconstructive breast surgery following breast cancer Sybil Goldrich (Mary McDonnell - Independence Day) has trouble with the implants and following a second operation she has further trouble leading to her researching the subject and discovering that implants are not FDA improved and have a 50% fail rate. Her campaign brings her in to contact with Kathleen Anneken (Gail O'Grady - Shadow on the Mesa) who having had implants because of a body issue also suffers sickness due to faulty implants. Despite initial problems they unite to take on the industry so that women planning surgery know the risks but it comes at a cost as their choices and campaign leads to personal problems.

Gail O'Grady in Two Voices (1997)

There are two sides to "Two Voices"; there is the informative side and the dramatic side which intertwine nicely to deliver an engaging and fascinating drama. The informative side nicely takes us on a journey of discovery as we not only learn about the various medical problems associated with these implants but also the lack of information and testing as well as a cover up from the manufacturers. Some of this is disgusting and a lot is hard hitting especially when we see how sick Kathleen becomes after her implants fail but it does its job of opening your eyes to the lack of information back in the late 80s.

The other side to "Two Voices" is the drama side how Sybil's and Kathleen's choices when it came to surgery affected their families but also how their campaign caused problems especially for Sybil as she became completely focused on the cause. But we also see how they became targeted from the manufacturers who saw them as enemies as well as women who disagreed with them campaigning against these implants. It works effectively as a drama and stops it from becoming just a dry informative movie.

All of which is great and makes "Two Voices" a thoroughly engaging movie even now over 15 years after it was made and the main performances of Mary McDonnell and Gail O'Grady are a huge reason why. Both deliver convincing performances of two very different women united by a joint cause. But "Two Voices" is not without issues most notably how it quickly deals with personal problems with scenes which magically solve personal conflict with a few kind words.

What this all boils down to is that "Two Voices" is both an entertaining and informative look at the campaign set up by Sybil Goldrich and Kathleen Anneken. Whilst it is prone to some typical TV movie issues the strength of the story, the interweaving of information and the acting makes it compelling viewing.


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