Review of Lorenzo's Oil (1992) by Catherine S — 30 May 2012

"Lorenzo's Oil" is not for the faint of heart. There are few films that can successfully portray content as excruciating as this harsh, unrelenting disease, but "Lorenzo's Oil" does justice to the agony endured by parents of children with such a debilitating disease.

I don't know if it is possible to walk away from this film without carrying a little baggage. Whether you have children and are thankful for their health, or you think about your future children and worry about their genes, or if you just think "What if that had been me?", this film will leave you feeling helpless.

And then it'll hit you - this is a true story. My emotional attachment occured not because of the plight of this little boy, but because of the restless dedication by his parents when friends, family, and doctors told them to give up.

It is one of the most conflicted situations in all of cinema, and yet the real life Odones battled the odds for years. If you don't cry at some point because of the plot, the ending credits will certainly get the tears flowing.

The film's soundtrack further enhances the emotions. Using classical music like Barber's Adagio for Strings, Cantores' Bogoroditse Devo and Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, dark overtones shroud the film in solemnity.

The acting is a bit hit or miss. Susan Sarandon was nominated for an Oscar but I think that her performance is pretty average (though very inspirational). Nick Nolte's accent didn't really resonate with me but I liked his interpretation of Augusto Odone.

Peter Ustinov's voice is incredible as Professor Nikolais and the supporting cast brings this story to life. "Lorenzo's Oil" is not for everyone, with its hopeless and heartwrenching story.

But if you can endure two hours of intense upsettedness, there is a great reward in store.