Last night my daughter and I went to see "My Sister's Keeper," starring Sofia Vasillieva,(who plays the older daughter on the TV show, "Medium,")Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack. Some great actors.
I hadn't read the book, by Jodi Picoult. In an interview, Jodi says:
"I personally am pro stem-cell research - there's too much good it can to do simply dismiss it. However, clearly, it's a slippery slope… and sometimes researchers and political candidates get so bogged down in the ethics behind it and the details of the science that they forget completely we're talking about humans with feelings and emotions and hopes and fears… like Anna and her family. I believe that we're all going to be forced to think about these issues within a few years… so why not first in fiction?"
I haven't cried so much at a movie in a long time. And not just because of the good
writing and acting and huge emotional impact of the storyline... but also because of what the actor Jason Patric calls "the cracks and resentments that threaten the foundation of our lives" in one of his lines as the father in the story. He was questioning the choice his wife and he made to genetically engineer a child to serve as a "donor child" to try to keep their cancer-ridden daughter alive. He questioned whether or not they had "gone against nature."
This morning I woke up with these questions on my mind. After a cup of coffee on the patio in this amazingly cool and dry weather for Memphis in July, I came back inside to think some more about what I might write about this story. Picoult did excellent research and wrote an educated fiction story about a subject that will continue to gain importance in modern society. But, why? What's driving this bus?
I think it's fear of death. Even young Kate, near the end says she doesn't fear death. What she fears is what her disease is doing to her family.
Important stuff for all of us to think about. I'm definitely going to get the book and read it now. I'd love to hear from others who have read the book or seen the movie--your thoughts?
1 comment:
I read the book, but haven’t seen the movie yet. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it, because the book was so depressing. It wasn’t “crying your eyes out sad,” as the movie seems to be. But it was gut wrenching to read all that the family went through, and how devastating the whole process was for each member of the family.
Objectively, I don’t like the idea of creating a child to be a perfect donor for another child. To me, it seems to reduce the dignity of life down to mere biological matter that is to be “used” for whatever. But as a Mom, if it was my 3-year-old daughter who had leukemia, and this was a possible way to save her, I’d be hard pressed not to try it.
I guess I’d have to agree with you that fear of death drives Sarah’s actions, but its mostly fear of losing a child, which I think is every parents worst nightmare. As the story goes on, though, we see that more is being lost by this family than is being gained.
The book ends differently than the movie, so I won’t say more about that, until you’ve read it. Post again after you’ve read it. It’s a really good, well written, thought provoking book, but very depressing, too. As you said, it’s a story that sticks with you, and makes you ponder the issues.
Barb from DeKalb
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