“A HEARTBREAKER”
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva, Alec Baldwin, Jason Patric, Joan Cusack, Evan Ellingson and David Bortolucci
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, sensuality, language and brief teen drinking
Genre: Drama
By John Delia
Heartfelt, heartwarming and heartbreaking, My Sister’s Keeper grabbed me, shook me and pushed me to the edge of tears. If you need a dose of family love, a fight for life and a chance to encounter what it takes to deal with a gripping situation the film is now on DVD.
Sara (Diaz) and Brian (Patric) Fitzgerald’s lives with their young son and their two-year-old daughter, Kate, is forever altered when they learn that Kate has leukemia. The parents’ only hope is to conceive another child, specifically intended to save Kate’s life. For some, such genetic engineering would raise both moral and ethical questions; for the Fitzgeralds, Sara in particular, there is no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep Kate alive. And what it takes is Anna. As the years go by Anna is harvested to keep Kate alive. When Anna (Breslin), now eleven years old, finds out that Kate (Vassilieva) needs her kidney to survive. She refuses leading to a confrontation between the courts and their determined mother.
I love the acting in My Sister’s Keeper, especially the intensity of Diaz’s character and the portrayal of the central figure Anna by Breslin. Their characters become adversaries and really make the film compelling. But the star of this film is Vassilieva who gives a heartwarming and heartbreaking depiction of what it must be like to have cancer and cope with all the things missing from a normal life. Her romantic interlude with Harry (Bortolucci) was a nice touch to the film.
The storyline is controversial especially since it’s a family member being the organ donor. When Anna was younger, although they involved a very painful process, the organ donations did not affect her physical wellness. But, the domineering mother who stopped at nothing to harvest her younger daughter’s organs, reducing the girl’s quality of life, showed a cruel and unloving side to her. The film is about choices, and I don’t know what mine would have been had I been in that situation.
My Sister’s Keeper is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, sensuality, language and brief teen drinking.
The DVD has an additional fifteen minutes of powerful scenes that are a must watch.
FINAL ANAYSIS:Â An enjoyable and captivating film that delivers a complex message. (3.5 of 5 Palm Trees)