SIFF Sighting: THE GIRL WITH NINE WIGS (drama; Germany)

Sophie (Lisa Tomaschewsky) was only 21 when she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer.

With a supportive family and a team of wonderful doctors she faced a desperate fight for her life, but refused to let circumstances get her down.

When chemotherapy treatments claimed her hair, she went shopping for wigs and chose nine different styles. Soon she was naming and assigning personalities to them, then becoming an array of people she had always wanted to be.

Everyone got to know her various personalities and interacted with them accordingly. Basically, she'd invented a new coping mechanism to combat her fears and grief, and it was working.

This film tells her true story in an authentic, beautiful way, with Tomaschewsky shining in the lead role. It should be required viewing for anyone battling cancer, or anyone who loves someone who is battling cancer.

Actually, it should be required viewing for anyone who is battling anything because it will bring you crashing back down to reality in an instant: it's not what you're facing, it's how you deal with it that will determine the outcome.

THE GIRL WITH NINE WIGS will screen at the 39th Annual Seattle International Film Festival on June 5 & 7, and both Lisa Tomaschewsky and Sophie herself will be in attendance. For tickets, click here.