Lorenzo's Oil

Plot synopsis:
Lorenzo (Zack O'Malley Greenburg) is a bright and vibrant young boy living in the Comoro Islands, as his father Augusto (Nick Nolte) works for the World Bank and is stationed there. However, when his parents relocate to the United States, he begins to show neurological problems (such as loss of hearing, tantrums, etc.). The boy is diagnosed as having adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which is fatal within two years. Failing to find a doctor capable of treating their son's rare disease, Augusto and his wife Michaela (Susan Sarandon) set out on a mission to find a treatment to save their child. In their quest, the Odones clash with doctors, scientists, and support groups, who are skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. But they persist, setting up camp in medical libraries, reviewing animal experiments, enlisting the aid of Professor Gus Nikolais (Peter Ustinov), badgering researchers, questioning top doctors all over the world, and even organizing an international symposium about the disease.
Despite research dead-ends, the horror of watching their son's health decline, and being surrounded by skeptics (including the coordinators of the support group they attend), they persist until they finally hit upon a therapy involving adding a certain kind of oil (actually containing two specific long chain fatty acids, isolated from rapeseed oil and olive oil) to their son's diet. They contact over 100 firms around the world until they find an elderly British chemist (Don Suddaby) working for Croda International who is willing to take on the challenge of distilling the proper formula. The oil, erucic acid, proves successful in normalizing the accumulation of the very long chain fatty acids in the brain that had been causing their son's steady decline, thereby halting the progression of the disease. There is still a great deal of neurological damage remaining which could not be reversed unless new treatments could be found to regenerate the myelin sheath (a lipid insulator) around the nerves. The father is seen taking on the new challenge of organizing biomedical efforts to heal myelin damage in patients.
Finally, Lorenzo, at the age of 14, shows definite improvement (swallowing for himself and answering "yes" or "no" questions by blinking) but more medical research is still needed. Ultimately it is revealed that Lorenzo has also regained his sight and is learning to use a computer.

Tags: inspiring, romantic, storytelling

Review:
Nick is convincing in every way  in this movie, even though he has a very hard part playing an Italian(Augusto Odone).Susan Sarandon plays the mother of Lorenzo.
It's incredible how she plays the part of a mother near the end of her powers pushing away everybody that does not share the same faith in saving the life of her son.This movie is underrated, and should be given a chance.
This is the true story of Lorenzo Michael Murphy Odone, who, at the age of seven, suffered from a rare, incurable brain disease called ALD.
Lorenzo's parents, Augusto Odone (Nick Nolte) and Michaela Odone (Susan Sarandon) decided to gather all the information they could find on their own.
Eventually, Augusto Odone solved the mystery and invented a prescription- a special form of olive oil which could help boys (the disease is passed on by the mothers to their sons, not their daughters) with ALD.
This movie is based on the true story of Michaela and Agusto Odone, whose child Lorenzo was diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a degenerative nerve disorder that afflicts only little boys and is always fatal.
My all-time favourite film, this highly emotional true story features peerless acting, especially from Sarandon..
Powerful and educational true life story of Augusto and Michaela Odone who learn their young son is stricken with a devestating and rare disease (adrenoleukodystrophy or ALD) with no cure.
Wow!,what a film.Based on a true story about little boy Lorenzo who gets an incurable disease called ALG.Parents never gives up to get a cure for the disease.And a cure there is,in form of an oil.This is an heartwarming,interesting and very important movie.Great performances all around.Especially Nick Nolte who did a great job with his italian accent.Definately one of his best performances.
As Michaela Odone, the mother of Lorenzo, who has a terminal disease ALD, she perfectly skates that fine line between being a caring parent and a crazed mother obsessed with keeping her son alive, and if the nurses don't like it, too bad.
I am not sure that it is "great film-making"; I do know, however, that it conveyed the story so effectively that even after 5 or 6 years (if not longer) I often remember it and draw inspiration from its story.Susan Sarandon was superb.
Based on the true story of a married couple at their wits' end trying to find a cure for their young son's degenerative disease, "Lorenzo's Oil" chronicles the efforts and challenges of two people who eventually strike out on their own when the established medical profession proves to be a group of naysayers.
Susan Sarandon does her usual sterling job as the mother--the film ends up being a valentine to her valiance and gritty grace--yet the plot-turns are somewhat mechanical despite George Miller's obvious heart and good intentions.
'Lorenzo's Oil' is a rare film that is intelligently produced in a manner that portrays the sadness, poignancy, hope, triumph and courage of the story it tells.It centres on the true story of Augustus and Michaela Odone, a doting couple who cherish their five-year-old son Lorenzo.
However, frustrated by the lack of research into the illness, the Odones' refuse to accept their son's condition is terminal and take on the medical world in their determination to save Lorenzo.The quality of acting in this film is absolutely first class.
Michaela Odone is brought to life by Susan Sarandon in a manner which shows a mother who loves her only son but borders on a stifling obsession to save him due to her mis-placed guilt over the fact the ALD gene is passed onto the afflicted child from their mother.
He gives a harrowing portrayal of a bright, sweet little boy whose mind and body gradually fail as the ALD progresses.'Lorenzo's Oil' successfully captures the grief and devastation that parents must endure upon learning their child has a condition that results in death as well as the determination, spirit and hope of rallying against illness.
It also nicely touches upon many different reactions that parents with a terminally-ill child might display as while the Odones' strive to rise above their son's condition and seek out hope, other parents (especially those with more than one ALD child and have seen their elder children die) are too disenchanted by watching their sons' painful, lingering death to think a cure is possible.
While parents like the Odones' are to be commended, the film does show that the latter group of parents are not this way because they are cruel, heartless monsters but rather they have seen too much pain in their sons that they believe death is only way to give their children release.What this film ultimately shows is that sometimes we cannot just place blind faith in doctors and drugs' companies and we have to fight for the ones we love, and that the bond between parents and their child is enduring.
'Lorenzo's Oil' not only advocates the disease that is not widely-known (although, sadly, in the UK, it has recently gained publicity when three young brothers were diagnosed with the condition) but also presents the subject matter in a way that is quite easy to understand for lay people (I was about fourteen when I first saw the film and was able to understand the jist of how Augusto discovered the Oil).In fact the only reason the film drops a point for me is because of the way the Oil is depicted as the all-time cure for ALD.
I was amazed that the same director could deliver a totally different product in so graceful a style that barely showed its head in Mad Max.Miller has done wonders with Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte and Peter Ustinov (whom I got to meet briefly after Mrs Gandhi's assassination); each of them giving stunning performances.
Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon portray a fabulous set of parents, who understand that the life of their child is more important to them than anything else is, or ever could be.
I only wish that more people would take the time to watch this movie, especially with their families, so they can understand what true love really is..
Narrating "the true story" (those ominous words...) of a couple whose child fell prey to an obscure brain disease and who, after years of struggle and investigation, found a cure that had eluded doctors and has helped hundreds since, this outline seems not to be the stuff that cinematic masterpieces are made of, but more that of countless, repetitive, melodramatic made-for-tv features that have inundated us for quite some time.But that is because there are four pieces missing in that picture; the names of four people whose talents shine so blindingly brightly here that they manage to transform this treaded premise back into the compelling drama it should be, and make Lorenzo's Oil a joy to behold.
The first two are Nick Enright, writer, and George Miller, writer and director, authors of a magnificent script, superbly helmed by Miller, whose direction is incredibly powerful and energetic, never falling anywhere near cheap sentimentalism or melodramatics, or underestimating the viewer's capacity to follow the intricacies of the investigation, but taking us on an enthusiastic ride of discovery and passion as we join the Odones in their grief and their battle against all odds.And this is also achieved by the simply breathtaking performances of the leads, Nick Nolte and especially Susan Sarandon, who was criminally robbed of what should have been in my opinion the most deserved Oscar of the nineties (and lets not forget Zack O'Malley's equally overwhelming portrayal of Lorenzo's descent into hell).
Nolte, as Lorenzo's father, devotes his life to a cure for his son while Sarandon, as mother, devotes her life as caregiver.The story takes us through beaurocracies, financial problems, uncaring medical professionals, etc.This is a must see for anyone who thinks we don't need universal health coverage in the USA..
these kids might be in for a blood nose and now they think they're going to die !anyway, my hope is that the kids in the paediatric ward weren't awake at 1am when they showed it because i watched it as there was nothing else on and the dumb bitch nurses wouldn't shut up about how fat they were and how terrible their step mothers/fathers were etc anyway, it has ended up affecting me quite a loti have spoken to many people about it and it makes me feel so happy that his family cared about him that much, but when i told my dad he said something along the lines of 'if i'm ever like that, just turn the life support off, there's no way in hell i'm living like that and don't you make me' sort of thing..
Its wonderful how dedicated Susan Sarandon, and Nick Nolte were to their child, there should be many more movies made like this.
'Lorenzo's Oil' is an emotive, yet factual film, showing Lorenzo's parents' struggle in finding a cure for their son's terminal disease; ALD (adrenoleukodystrophy).
This disease, received next-to-no research, due to it only affecting a very small minority of people and not even having a name until recent years; the Odone's (Lorenzo's parents) fight against this.I found this film deeply touching.
Based on courageous the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, two parents in a relentless search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), 'Lorenzo's Oil' tells a tale so tragic yet moving, that it turns out to be An Extraordinary Film!
Director George Miller & Actors Nick Nolte & Susan Sarandon bring this true story to life, with sensitivity & maturity.
The movie did a great job making you, the viewer, feel as though you were in the given situations, both good and bad.The acting in this film was outstanding.
The movie is not so much about the little boy Lorenzo, suffering from a 100% fatal illness, but rather his parents' dogged determination to find a cure, despite stern opposition from the medical community and other parents who have basically given up hope.
It's impossible to remain indifferent to this family's sufferings .Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte -in spite of his fake Italian accent- give superlative performances.That moment when Nolte is crying in his stairs is one of the most harrowing desperate scene I have ever seen.What's really extraordinary is that we do not always side with the parents.Sometimes ,we think they are monsters to carry on a pointless fight.Sometimes we think that maybe the nurse who reads the fairy tale as if she were reading grocery's lists might be right.Two people who did not know anything about biology (aside from what we learn in high school)and who become capable of arguing against leading medical experts after studying books night after night deserve our undivided attention."Laurenzo" is not an easy movie to watch;it's not what you would call "entertaining".For this family,the famous sentence " life is a daily struggle" takes on a terrible meaning.Recommended..
This account of a boy struggling with an unknown illness is intriguing to anyone going into or even interested in the medical field, as well as folks who have been in situations where diagnosis is unclear and good treatments are hard to find.The film is very well-acted by Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte, although Nolte's attempt at an Italian accent provided occasional much-needed comic relief.
The true story of a boy who was diagnosed with the rare disease adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and his parents' quest to save him.While doctors gave Lorenzo Odone only a few years to live, his parents Michaela and Augusto, who were not scientists, researched the biology of the disease and ultimately came up with and patented a substance called Lorenzo's Oil that arrested the disease and ultimately saved their son's life.
Today Lorenzo is 28 years old.A great movie for anyone interested in medicine, or if you just want to watch a moving and inspirational story of the determination to save a life..
I can't remember seeing a film as riveting and as moving as Lorenzo,s Oil in a very long time and the cast was awesome the 2 leading were Nick Nolte a Ten star actor if ever there was one and Susan Sarandon an actress of absolute star power.
And basically, "Lorenzo's Oil", directed by George Miller, chronicles the worst situation parents can ever face: an incurable disease.The parents are Augusto (Nick Nolte) and Michaela Odone (Susan Sarandon), the victim of this genetic cruelty is their boy Lorenzo, and the 'evil' has an ugly name: adrenoleukodystrophy (or ALD).
Augusto and Michaela make their own researches in libraries and medical institutes, grabbing any piece of information that can help them to understand, for instance, why the diet ordered by the doctors didn't decrease the level of lipids, but made it worse.Meanwhile, Michaela reads stories to Lorenzo, talks to him, like a normal child, rejecting such advice as putting him in an institute or to 'think of herself'.
But Nick Nolte and George Miller deserved nods for their intense work, Nolte convinced me as a gentle, strong-willed, Italian father who refuses to surrender to fatality.I close the review with these three smiling faces from the poster in my mind, sadly realizing realize that all these three people died in real life, but happy to see that their fight was not in vain, if only, because there's a treatment that saved many boys who were diagnosed early enough, and rightfully called "Lorenzo's Oil"..
The script also doesn't pull any punches when it comes to observing the different reactions and family pressures caused by so-called "incurable diseases".This film offers us all a powerful message of hope, since Lorenzo begins to show signs of recovery, once the rare and precious oil has been identified, manufactured and administered.
If you like adventure but don't normally go for medical films, you will like this.Lorenzo's parents show great determination to investigate the disease and try to reduce its effects, with some success.
Nolte and Sarandon Are the Reasons to See This One. An inspiring true-life account of a husband and wife who, out of desperation, discover a treatment for their son's disease that otherwise had been dismissed by the medical community as untreatable.This is Lifetime movie stuff, and at any number of moments the film threatens to topple over into the overly maudlin and treacly.
'Lorenzo's Oil' tells an extraordinary story of two parents determined to save their son.
Not long after the Odone's move to the States, their son, Lorenzo is diagnosed with ALD, a rare progressive congenital disease that only affects boys.
Stars: Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandan.This film, based on a true story, is about two parents going through the hardships of having a son dying of the disease ALD, and how they try to learn to help him.
Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte convincingly play the real life parents of a boy afflicted with a rare neurological disease.
Her son (and many other son's) lives because of her tireless passion and never-say-die attitude, even when those closest to her had surrendered to what was considered the inevitable, she persisted--and her son remains because of her strength.This film shows us that the doctors don't always have the answers, and sometimes they don't have the guts to continue into new territory becuase they're blinded by rules, regulations, and their own career-oriented mindset.The more amazing possibility, other than the miracle of a possible cure/treatment for ALD, is that this same technique could one day lead to treatment for a whole host of other disorders, like MS.With this movie, as with life itself, sometimes miracles happen, sometimes the "good guy" wins for real.This story's legacy is that we all may have won.
They would have found it years ago, but it was hiding behind a couple of other genes." - Jonathan KatzSusan Sarandon and Nick Nolte act their hearts out in "Lorenzo's Oil", a drama about a couple whose son suffers from Adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD), a fatal disease that progressively destroys the brain.
Directed by the always reliable George Miller, and based on a true story, the film watches as the couple's son worsens before our eyes, the boy eventually becoming paralysed, blind and unable to speak.With ALD having no cure, and the entire medical profession giving the kid no more than a few months to live, Nolte and Sarandon are thus faced with two choices: accept the fact that this rare genetic disease will soon kill their child, or focus all their efforts on finding a cure.Of course the couple refuse to accept the medical establishment's grim prognosis and instead go off in search of a cure.
Likewise, though the couple's oil has helped other families and sufferers of ALD over the decades, no cure for the disease exists at present.Still, forget about the film's Hollywood ending and melodramatic hurdles.
I like watching true stories, but Lorenzo's Oil was the best I have ever seen!
Oh no, out of some panicked, primal urgency to lessen Lorenzo's suffering and protect the family unit no matter what, the Odones organize their lives around their son's need for round-the-clock care and Augusto Odone out of necessity becomes expert enough to invent a medicine that can ease the suffering of those with ALD and act as a preventative in many cases for those who are predisposed to suffer from the disease, but have not yet experienced the onset of its symptoms.There are many fascinating independent features of interest in this film, but central to is the acting of Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon as the beleaguered parents.
Hence the title.As we see the angst, sadness, and why me of Lorenzo's parents, played by Nick Nolte with an Italian accent and Susan Sarandon.
The true story of ald (adreno-leukodystrophy) boy Lorenzo Michael Murphy Odone is brought to the screen convincingly thanks to some strong acting performances and a heart rending script.Nick Nolte is good as the determined, tireless father while Susan Sarandon is even better as Lorenzo's brave and courageous mother.