Problem Statement: Narrative is a fundamental means of giving meaning to human experiences and plays a vital role particularly in the context of illness. Illness narratives allow individuals to re-examine their lived experiences and identities, while also providing audiences with a deeper understanding of the human dimensions of confronting disease. One such illness is colorectal cancer, which, in addition to physical challenges, imposes extensive psychological and social pressures on patients a narrative that lends itself to representation through film. Film, especially when grounded in authentic and personal stories, has a unique capacity to portray patients’ lived experiences, foster empathy among audiences, and serve as a powerful medium for knowledge transfer, attitude change, and public awareness. This study adopts a qualitative and narrative inquiry approach, conducting in-depth interviews with colorectal cancer patients and their surgeons to analyze and represent these lived narratives. In doing so, it examines how narrative can be employed in film as an effective tool for enhancing public awareness and reshaping perceptions of the disease. The ultimate aim of the research is to articulate purposeful strategies for using personal narratives in film to raise public awareness about colorectal cancer and to demonstrate the power of narrative in understanding, acceptance, and coping with the illness. The analysis considers elements such as events, individuals (patients, specialists, families), story and narrative text, place and time, and narrative discourse. Ultimately, the study seeks to show how the narratives of patients and their surgeons can be utilized in film to represent lived experiences and contribute to public awareness of colorectal cancer, as well as the importance of its prevention and treatment.
Research Objective: This study aims to explore how the narratives of colorectal cancer patients and their surgeon can be utilized in film to represent patients’ lived experiences and, at the same time, contribute to enhancing public awareness of the disease and the importance of its prevention and treatment.
Questions Researc: This study seeks to answer the question of how the narratives of patients with colorectal cancer and their surgeon can be represented in the form of narrative and educational films?
Methodology: The present study employs a qualitative, descriptive analytical method with a narrative inquiry approach. Data were collected through informal participatory observation in the clinical setting of the surgeon’s office and by recording informal conversations with patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer and their surgeons. Narrative inquiry enables a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the human and complex dimensions of illness through the stories and accounts individuals provide about their experiences of disease. The sampling method was based on in-depth interviews with one hundred accessible patients. These interviews were conducted over a three-month period in the colorectal clinic of the respective surgeon, during which the target patients were identified. Data analysis was carried out using narrative analysis.
Conclusion: This study revealed that the lived narratives of patients with colorectal cancer and their surgeons uncover three fundamental themes with strong dramatic potential for cinematic representation: identity crisis, socio-emotional burden, and the necessity of professional transparency. At the identity level, illness and its consequences (such as ostomy) are narrated as the death of a former identity and the rebirth of a new one providing a powerful turning point for characterizing the patient as the protagonist. This transformation is often accompanied by spiritual reflection and the search for new meaning, which can serve as a source of realistic hope in film.
At the social level, the narratives highlight that the burden of society’s pitying gaze and the taboo surrounding illness-related consequences is often heavier than the disease itself. This underscores the need for films that, rather than reproducing pity, emphasize empathy, social acceptance, and the vital role of silent heroes such as families and caregivers. At the medical and educational level, the narratives stress the importance of surgeons’ transparency in providing scientific information and clarifying potential risks particularly regarding ostomy. Thus, the surgeon’s character in film should be portrayed as a bridge between science and emotion, a credible and responsible source of information. A comparative analysis of Iranian films produced between 1992 and 2019 revealed that colorectal cancer has been conspicuously absent from Iranian cinema. While films have largely focused on more familiar cancers such as leukemia and brain tumors, this absence reflects a serious cultural and content gap, resulting in a missed opportunity for public awareness about the world’s third most common cancer. Accordingly, the narrative data obtained from interviews can serve as a comprehensive roadmap for filmmakers to create high-quality fictional, documentary, and educational works based on patients’ and surgeons’ lived experiences. Such films not only enhance public awareness of the importance of screening and the management of disease outcomes, but also foster social empathy, paving the way for greater acceptance of patients and psychological support for those living with the consequences of colorectal cancer.