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Lorenzo's Oil

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This article is about the film. For the substance, see Lorenzo's oil.
Lorenzo's Oil
File:Lorenzos oil.jpg
Movie poster
Directed byGeorge Miller
Written byGeorge Miller
Nick Enright
Produced byGeorge Miller
Doug Mitchell
StarringNick Nolte
Susan Sarandon
Peter Ustinov
CinematographyJohn Seale
Edited byMarcus D'Arcy
Richard Francis-Bruce
Music byWillie Thurlow (theme from Lorenzo's Oil)
James Horner (Universal logo only)
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
December 30 1992
Running time
129 mins
Country United States
LanguagesEnglish, Italian
Budget$30,000,000 (estimated)

Lorenzo's Oil is an Academy Award–nominated 1992 drama film directed by George Miller. It is based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, two parents in a relentless search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).

Plot

Failing to find a doctor capable of treating their young son Lorenzo's rare disease, Augusto and Michaela Odone sought their own cure. They set out on a mission to find a treatment to save their child. In their quest for a treatment the Odones clashed with doctors, scientists, and support groups, who were skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. But they persisted, setting up camp in medical libraries, reviewing animal experiments, badgering researchers, questioning top doctors all over the world, and even organizing an international symposium about the disease. Despite dead ends of research, the horror of watching their son's health decline, and being surrounded by skeptics (including the coordinators of the support group they attended), they persisted until they finally hit upon a therapy involving adding a certain kind of oil (actually olive oil with two specific long chain fatty acids removed) to their son's diet. They contacted over 100 firms around the world until they found an elderly British chemist working for Croda International who was willing to take on the challenge of distilling the proper formula. It proved 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 was still a great deal of neurological damage remaining which could not be reversed until new treatments were found to regenerate the myelin sheath (a lipid insulator) around the nerves.

The film ends with Lorenzo at the age of 14 showing definite improvement (he could swallow for himself and answer yes or no questions by blinking) but indicating more medical research is still needed. The end credits of the film note that Lorenzo also regained his sight and was learning to use a computer.

Postscript

The actual Lorenzo Odone was able to communicate using modified sign language. Augusto Odone went on to receive an honorary medical degree from the University of Stirling. Lorenzo died on May 30, 2008 at the age of 30 from aspiration pneumonia, brought about by food becoming stuck in his lungs.[1] Doctors had predicted he would not live past the age of 8.[2] Aspiration pneumonia is a common cause of death in patients with severe neurologic disease. Lorenzo's oil has a protective effect which can stop ALD from progressing.

Cast

Actors as Lorenzo Odone

Awards

Lorenzo's Oil was nominated twice at the 65th Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Susan Sarandon) and Best Original Screenplay (George Miller & Nick Enright).

Susan Sarandon was also nominated for Best Actress at the 50th Golden Globe Awards.

The film was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay Written Directly for the screen at the WGA Awards.

Reception

Lorenzo's Oil received mostly positive reviews from critics, and currently holds a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave it four out of four stars and called it an "immensely moving and challenging movie". He added, "it was impossible not to get swept up in it" and James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave it three out of four stars and claimed "it was about the war for knowledge and the victory of hope through perseverance."

References

  1. ^ Lorenzo Odone, inspired ALD film
  2. ^ Boy whose parents made Lorenzo's oil dies at 30
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