TWO WEEKS
A sincere adult drama that comes up spiritually empty.
Should You Watch It?
TWO WEEKS offers a sincere, heart-rending look at a family gathering during a mother’s final days. The children clash because they are different, yet the shared experience draws them together. Sally Field gives a superb performance, and the acting and production are excellent.
But this is difficult viewing. You watch a woman die of cancer, including vomiting and gradually becoming comatose. Every member of the family has a foul mouth, and the story’s spiritual emptiness is especially chilling from a Christian perspective. The family searches for comfort in secular books, marijuana, work, and a late visit from a rabbi rather than in the hope of eternal life.
The film has real merit, but it is not easy entertainment and is intended for adults. WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY if you want a sincere drama that may deepen your compassion for people facing death and your concern for unsaved neighbors.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAnita Bergman is dying of cancer, and her children gather from across the country to spend her final days with her. They are quite different from one another and bring serious clashes into the house.
One son records his mother answering questions and sharing thoughts about her life. As the two weeks unfold, the family must face Anita’s condition, their strained relationships, and the questions raised by death.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is a well-acted, excellently produced drama with serious limitations as entertainment. Sally Field does a superb job portraying Anita’s final horrors, and the production’s quality may impress viewers.
The film’s subject makes it difficult to watch. It is not a blockbuster-style experience, but an in-depth look at someone dying of cancer. Its strongest accomplishment is the sincere portrayal of a family brought together by a shared tragedy.
The Worldview
TWO WEEKS presents a family facing death without a clear thought of eternal life. Anita suggests that she has not been a bad person, raising the implication that being good or bad somehow determines what happens after death. The film does not openly resolve that question.
A daughter seeks comfort in secular books about dealing with death. One son finds relief by smoking marijuana. A rabbi is called when Anita is already comatose, and the children laugh when he prays for her healing. The movie’s strongest spiritual note is therefore its absence: the characters need the hope of God but do not know Him.
The film does show family members being drawn together through suffering, and it may encourage Christians to reach out to unsaved neighbors. Yet Scripture teaches that eternal life is not earned through good works. Salvation rests on God’s grace through Jesus Christ: “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong pagan worldview of the last days of a dying woman’s life; 30 obscenities and three profanities; no violence, sex or nudity; moderate alcohol use, smoking, marijuana use, massive prescribed use of morphine on dying patient, and jokes about taking leftover morphine; and, anger, family squabbles, forgery, and some scenes of what it’s like to have advanced cancer may be unsettling to some viewers.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The family comes together during Anita’s final days. How can suffering draw people toward reconciliation rather than deeper conflict?
Colossians 3:12–14 · Romans 12:18Anita’s situation raises questions about whether being “good” is enough after death. What does Scripture say is the basis of salvation?
Ephesians 2:8–9 · John 3:16The family looks for comfort in books, work, drugs, and religious ritual. Where should Christians turn when facing grief and death?
Psalm 46:1 · 2 Corinthians 1:3–4The film’s spiritual emptiness may remind Christians of neighbors who do not know God. How can you offer genuine hope without treating someone’s pain lightly?
1 Peter 3:15 · Romans 10:14–15The Final Word
TWO WEEKS is sincere, well acted, and compassionate toward a family facing death. It is also difficult, profane, spiritually empty, and intended for adults. For viewers prepared for that weight, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a gentler family choice, see.
