L'huile de Lorenzo

Recently there was a case of adrenoleukodystrophy in my hospital. The first case in over 20 years. The professor told us about this film and urged the staff to watch it. I am so glad I watched it! This film is very touching. It also enhanced my understanding of the psychosocial aspects of a genetic disease and its impact on the family.

I find the pace a bit fast in the first hour. I did not expect Lorenzo to have disabling symptoms just 10 minutes into the film. The scene where the parents reading about the disease is so effective. Seeing Nick Nolte crying helplessly on the stairs is probably the most effective scene in the whole film. It really conveys to the audience about how it feels to find about the inevitable fate.

In the film we can see how love shines in the dark. The love of parents is truly unconditional. One can easily feel the love, and be touched by it. Susan Sarandon is so convincing in portraying the relentless mother! Her performance deserves an Oscar award!

I was also particularly impressed by the child actors who played the diseased children. Their performance is so convincing that I would easily say that the symptoms were real and not faked. I wonder how these children manage it!

Lay people may find the technical and scientific details overwhelming and hard to follow. However, the technical details are well explained so it should not be a problem.

I wholeheartedly recommend this film to everyone. Parents will find it especially touching as the film echos the unconditional love they have for their children.