LORENZO'S OIL

LORENZO'S OIL - 1992

RATING - PG-13 for a child's life threatening ordeal.  Some language. Very intense emotionally.

RATED - 57 Amazon (5/5), 189.877 Netflix (3.7/5), 7,755 IMDB (7/10).

STARRING - Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte.

AWARDS - 1993 Academy Award Nominations for BEST ACTRESS (Sarandon) and BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY.

THEMES - Relationships, justice.

STORY - Based on the real life story of the Odones whose son Lorenze began to suffer from a number of neurological symptoms about age five. It was diagnosed as the rare disease ALD with the medical community giving him no hope of a cure and a limited life expectancy. The Odones would not accept the verdict. They were determined, at any cost and against extreme odds, to find a cure. They became self-educated about the disease and the science behind a potential cure. They mortgaged their home, took leave of their jobs and did everything humanly possible, racing against the clock, to save Lorenzo's life.  Part heart breaking drama and part medical mystery this is an extremely well written and well acted film.  Nolte and Sarandon are outstanding. It is also a fascinating look behind the scenes as to how medical research is done and how decisions are made as to which projects get priorities.  How would we react in a similar situation? Are there areas, perhaps not always life and death, where we have just accepted the 'professional' diagnosis and settled for something less than what could have been.  This is an inspiration not to take 'no' for an answer when our instincts tell us otherwise. This is an extremely well done film well worth watching.  Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 12-05-2010,

LINKS - AMAZON, NETFLIX, IMDB/TRAILER