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MOVIE
REVIEW: MY SISTER'S KEEPER

06/25/09

“Coincidence or not, I’m
here”, this quote by Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin),
states the essence of her existence. The Fitzgerald family
could not have been living a more idyllic life. Dad (Jason
Patric), a fireman, mom an attorney. They have two perfect
children, Jessie (Evan Ellingston) a blonde haired, precious
little boy, and Kate (Sofia Vassilieva), an angelic little
girl whose smile is pure sunshine. All was right with the
world until little Kate becomes ill and suddenly their world
is turned upside down. After several treatments and failed
attempts to cure her, they have come to the place where the
doctors have no more solutions to offer. At this point both
parents have found out that not only are they not a genetic
match for the sake of a bone marrow transplant but neither
is her little brother. And then their oncologist suggests
something altogether new. Why not have another baby that
would be genetically engineered to be a perfect match for
Kate. Anna says it best when she states that most babies are
accidents, usually due to alcohol and lack of birth control,
but not her. She was “born to save my sister’s life”.
I don’t believe any of us could ever say that we can
understand what it would be to know that your ultimate
purpose in life is to provide genetic material to be
transplanted as needed to continue your sibling’s life. A
Machiavellian view would be that she is here on earth to be
harvested for parts whether she wants it or not. Anna,
although just 11 years old, decides that she will no longer
be silent, and out she goes and gets herself an attorney,
Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin), a man living his own
personal battles. They begin an unprecedented fight for
Anna’s Medical Emancipation, now that almost all hope is
gone to save Kate except the need for a kidney transplant.
Anna’s kidney to be exact.
Kate has made it longer than anyone could have expected. In
her short life she has experienced so much. Pain, disgust,
anger and even love. I mean, who could understand what going
through countless radiation, chemo, loss of your hair and
nausea better than another person going through it. In to
her life comes Taylor (Thomas Dekker) and for the time they
have together all is well with the world and love could not
be any sweeter.
This film takes you through, the heartache that comes from
having your child live life in a constant state of wait.
Wait to see if she’ll live, wait to see if she’ll die and at
times just how much longer can she put up with living in
this debilitating state. But it also shows you a loving
family, siblings that would do anything for one another. A
father who quietly suffers on the sidelines, a younger
sister with more weight on her shoulders than any person
much less a child should ever have to put up with, a brother
who has been the invisible child for so long and yet wants
nothing more than to help his sister’s wishes come to
fruition. And lastly a mother, Sara Fitzgerald (Cameron
Diaz) who has given up her career to spend every moment
taking care of and fighting for Kate’s survival at the
expense of the rest of her family at times. This family is
loving and caring but not always in agreement with what is
right for Kate and much less, stopping to actually see what
it is that Kate really wants.
I have to tell you that I know how Sara, as a mother, feels.
She fights everyone, doctors, nurses, counselors, Anna’s
attorney, even Kate, but it’s the only way she knows to keep
her child going. She doesn’t sit around feeling sorry for
herself and doesn’t take others doing so, easily. That is
until her sick child holds her and makes her feel all those
things she’s been burying so deeply under the guise of
strength and the tears come like rain. My own son Dexter was
at death’s door two years ago and although for just a
moment, when told by doctors that he had gone into cardiac
arrest and might not make it, I cried that deep guttural cry
that no one can understand unless you feel it. After that
moment though, I went into warrior mode and although others
around me cried, and I’m sure they must have thought I had
lost my mind, I just wanted to know when physical therapy
could begin, even though they didn’t know if he’d ever come
out of his coma, I was working towards my child’s recovery
and fought everyone tooth and nail to believe that he would
make it. I know what this mother felt and how she went on
automatic mode and did all she could. Make no mistake, this
film is a tearjerker from Nick Cassavetes, director and
writer of the Notebook, and you will cry. CineMarcos sat
next to me trying very hard to not show he was crying, but
the sniffling and slight convulsing gave him away. You will
cry, but I believe that you will also find the strength of
the human spirit present in this film. This film will
visually assault you and I don’t mean that just because of
the painful scenes of illness, but through all the wonderful
scenes of a family attempting to live, all the while
fighting against death. Scenes of California’s beautiful
beaches and the mountains of Montana are breathe taking and
thus help make the dark aspects of this film bearable in
their lightness.
Review By Priscilla
priscilla@smartcine.com
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Director: Nick Cassavetes
Writer: Jeremy Leven Nick Cassavetes
Genre: Drama
Duration: 1hr 46mins
Staring: Cameron Diaz
Abigail Breslin
Alec Baldwin
Sofia Vassilieva
Joan Cusack
Jason Patric
Producer: 
Stephen Furst
Scott Goldman
Mark Johnson
Chuck Pacheco
Distributor: NEW LINE CINEMA
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic
content,
some disturbing images, sensuality,
language and brief teen drinking
Release Date: June 26, 2009
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