In Sickness and in Health. Dir. Pilar Prassas. Women Make Movies, 2007. DVD. 57 min.

In Sickness and in Health documents life partners and gay rights activists Marilyn Maneely and Diane Marini, one of seven couples involved in the “Lewis v. Harris” trial that led to New Jersey’s Civil Union Act in 2006. This documentary shows how Marilyn and Diane’s relationship essentially became the focus of the case, showing the very real impact of denying people their civil rights.

In 2002, Director Pilar Prassas began filming the seven couples who were denied marriage licenses by the state of New Jersey. Two years into filming, Marilyn Maneely was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gherig’s Disease), forcing Marilyn and Diane to face very real limitations due to not being legally recognized as partners by the state. Through family photographs, home videos, and interviews, we witness Marilyn’s health rapidly declining, their family’s struggle to provide her care, and their community’s reactions as they confront their own limitations under the law.

For example, Marcye and Karen, together for over 15 years with two children, and one of the couples involved in the trial, spoke of originally choosing not to enter into any legal partnership until same-sex marriage was legalized for political reasons. However, through witnessing Marilyn and Diane’s struggles, they have to face the idea that, for the sake of their family’s health, any legal recognition might be better than none at all. Long-time couple Chris and Craig, also friends of Marilyn and Diane and involved in the trial, express their anger and frustration at the “caste system” constructed by the state by differentiating between marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships, and New Jersey’s ultimate refusal to grant the same rights to everyone, thus causing inequities in families’ economics and physical and emotional health. One of the most poignant demonstrations of this is when Marilyn dies 10 months after being diagnosed, and Diane, who has been with Marilyn for over a decade, is not allowed to sign her partner’s death certificate.

The introduction and the beginning of In Sickness and in Health are somewhat incongruous with the remainder of the film. The opening uses archival footage of weddings and other scenes that might be read as “typical suburban life,” along with a voice-over reminiscent of a 1940’s and 1950’s promotional film. This definitely brings the viewer in, but the archival footage is rarely used after the opening, which gives the sense that the film has two different styles. In addition, the beginning of the film introduces the three couples very quickly and is edited in a way that might make it difficult to figure out where the story is going. However, after the first 10 minutes, the film comes into its stride. The editing between interviews, home movies, and photographs smooths out and it is easy to get lost in this compelling story.

One will also note this documentary’s ability to withstand time. Though the story covers a relatively short period, ending with the passing of New Jersey’s Civil Union Act, it can easily be applied to many civil rights issues. This film would be well suited for academic settings and large public libraries.

Reviewed by, Jesse Nachem
Records Specialist
University of California