Lorenzo's Oil (DVD)

I watched this film many years ago on VHS and recently bought it on DVD, because it was a film that impressed me and stayed in my minds eye for a long time after watching it.

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As an introduction to the film, imagine that you have a child with a rare illness and you are told that there is no cure for that illness. This was the dilemna that faced a real life family and one that could happen to any family in the world, ...
...in which the delicate subject matter of childhood illness is dealt with. It is a story of hope, a story of one woman's fight for her child, and shows how powerful motherhood can be and also how inadequate the system is when dealing with rare deseases.

The story begins with Lorenzo being diagnosed at the age of 5 with a terrible illness for which there was no known cure. Imagine the horror at hearing that as a parent. Imagine the thoughts ... more

I watched this film many years ago on VHS and recently bought it on DVD, because it was a film that impressed me and stayed in my minds eye for a long time after watching it.

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As an introduction to the film, imagine that you have a child with a rare illness and you are told that there is no cure for that illness. This was the dilemna that faced a real life family and one that could happen to any family in the world, but what is remarkable about this film is the way in which the delicate subject matter of childhood illness is dealt with. It is a story of hope, a story of one woman's fight for her child, and shows how powerful motherhood can be and also how inadequate the system is when dealing with rare deseases.

The story begins with Lorenzo being diagnosed at the age of 5 with a terrible illness for which there was no known cure. Imagine the horror at hearing that as a parent. Imagine the thoughts that would go through your mind, and how strong you would be in those circumstances. The players in the film are convincing in this true life story, and what makes it so amazing is the research that the mother does in order to save her child.

The Odones family life is thrown into chaos, and Nick Nolte plays the part of the father convincingly, counter balancing the stubborn character of his wife played by Susan Sarandon perfectly, so that what you get is a story of hope, fear, grief, obstinacy and all the mixture of emotions that would become part of the everyday life of a family faced with such a diagnosis, and threat to everything they hold dear as a complete family unit.

Not only is the story convincing, the actors were well chosen and actually came over as convincing and believable. The illness is one that is carried in a woman's genes, and one that gradually takes away the child's resistance to illness by attacking the nervous system. This is only passed to male children and what gave away signs of this illness were changes in the child's behaviour. What followed research into these behaviour patterns was like a death sentence and one that neither parent would accept as the only future for their offspring.

George Miller's direction of the movie is sensitive and having taken a subject which could have turned into a sad story that could easily be dismissed by the most avid of movie viewers was turned into a story of hope, a story of how one couple took on the medical establishment and decided that the death sentence that medics had given their son was not good enough an answer.

This is an amazing film and one that does not date. Were I to tell you the outcome, it really would spoil the movie. The film was made in 1993 and the DVD that I bought can only be played on a multi region player, although it's the kind of movie I watch alone, as the sadness and grief I feel whilst watching it is something I cannot share with others. What comes out of the movie is hope in such a way that you could not feel it unless you were indeed a mother. What comes from it as well is the way in which the human soul keeps a person believing that there is a God, that there are possibilities beyond what doctors and medical science knows, and that when faced with circumstances such as the Odones family had to face, giving up on their son was not an option.

The story is powerful and although the music is not particularly memorable or special effects limited to a series of pictures at the end of the movie, this kind of film doesn't need special effects or music to send its message.

Compared with other films that I have watched of a sentimental nature, this one touches me more than any I can remember, as being based on what actually happened rather than airy fairy stories that have no logic, it leaves you with a sense of satisfaction as the story unfolds through a series of sequences of hope, fear, ups and downs as the family face what must be one of the worst scenarios that a family can be faced with.

Running time : 129 Minutes.
Rating : Parent Guided although I would not want younger children to watch it, as the concept of a life threatening illness may scare them.
Price : From ten Pounds.

Is it a worthwhile story ?

Perhaps the answer to that question lies in the final scenes of the film and the only way you will know is to watch it.

Rachel 

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