My Sister's Keeper

I have been wanting to see this film for quite a while and found out earlier this week that my local cinema will stop showing it after dark starting mid-week, meaning that last night was my last opportunity to see it. After being turned down by one of my friends (who shall remain nameless...for now) to see the film and not having the time or energy to try and find a date who would want to see the film, I decided to go and see the film by myself.

I used to think that going to the movies by yourself was a weird thing and would take pity on the people that I saw by themselves in the theatre, but you know what after last night I have a bit of a better understanding of why people do it. It was kind of liberating to go and see the film by myself and not have to worry about whether or not my date would be on time( I die for tardiness!), who I would take and if they would even want to see the film I wanted to. Going by myself proved to be no stress and I could just chill in the theatre by myself, quite delightful really. I don't think I would do it all the time, but I will definitely do it again. There is quiet dignity to going to the movies solo.

But to the film itself. My Sister's Keeper is based on the novel (of the same name) by Jodi Picoult and has quite the star studded line up, including Cameron Diaz, child prodigy Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin and screen delight Joan Cusack. It follows the Fitzgerald family through the treatment and management of the eldest daughter Kate's (Sofia Vassilieva) battle with leukemia. Kate was diagnosed with the disease as a child and a radical option to help cure it was to create a sibling (Anna played by Breslin) with perfect DNA which could be used transfer organs to Kate. But now Anna has had enough and so enlists the services of high flying Californian lawyer Campbell Alexander (Baldwin) to medically emancipate her from her parents.


Anna (Breslin) and her lawyer Campbell Alexander (Baldwin) in court

As a result of Anna's decision and legal challenge the family is put into chaos, especially as Kate's health rapidly deteriorates at the same time and it is apparent that she may be losing the battle she has fought all of her life.

The way that the story is told by director Nick Cassavetes is very stirring. The delicate subject of a sick child and the way that it affects an entire family, throughout many years, has been executed beautifully. Audiences are able to get a real sense of what real life families must go through when a child gets cancer. The majority of the film is a real tear jerker, but not all of it is because of the desperate situation the family finds itself in, rather the film scatters poignant every day moments that show a families love for one another, which had everyone in my theatre clutching for their Kleenexes.

Cameron Diaz and Sofia Vassilieva

While performances by Diaz and Breslin were as spectacular as audiences have come to expect from them both, there were three real standouts. Middle child Jesse Fitzgerald (Evan Ellingson) was able to to explore the other parts of life that go on when Mum and Dad are busy looking after another child all the time. Joan Cusack who plays the judge that presides over the case (herself a recently grieving mother) breaks with all conventions about what a typical judge should be and displays all the sensitivities you would want a judge to have if the case were real life. Finally Vassilieva was simply amazing, she actually shaved all her hair and eyebrows off for this role. The bravery showed by her character in the final scenes was spectacular, her acting has never been finer.

4.5 stars.