My Sister's Keeper - Film review

Based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult, My Sisters Keeper tells the thought provoking tale of a young girl who is suing her parents for medical emancipation – the right to decide what she does with her body.

Seen through different viewpoints, the film takes us on a journey through the past and the present, and shows us just how the walls of this family foundation began to crumble over time.Cameron Diaz takes on a different film role as the stubborn and tough mother of a teenage daughter Kate, who has been battling cancer on and off ever since she was a young child. Diaz does a solid and convincing job as playing Sara Fitzgerald, a role quite different to her usual comedic appearances. Her other daughter Anna (Abigail Breslin) was conceived specifically to be a genetic match for her sister Kate.

The real story begins when we learn Anna is suing her parents to the rights of her own body, and her right NOT to give up a kidney for her dying sister. The movie however isn’t so much about the legal battle. It jumps back and forth to show how Kate’s illness has affected the family’s life, and just how Anna came to making the decision to finally stand up and say no.
The narration throughout the movie is effective in giving us greater insight to these characters, as well as the weary father Brian (played by Jason Patric) and troubled older brother Jesse (Evan Ellingson.)

The film generally glosses over the nastier side of the cancer, instead focusing on many slow motion scenes, designed to tug at the heartstrings of the audience. While effective in showing the families every emotion at the time, the happy times, and the bittersweet ones, the slow-mo can get all a bit too much and too repetitive throughout the movie. The real acting credit goes to Sofia Vassilieva, who plays the cancer stricken Kate.
Through her honest portrayal of the character, we as an audience are taken on the journey through her life with her. From her first love, to her last days, Sofia plays such a convincing role, it’s almost as if she isn’t acting it. Ultimately her demonstration of courage and the obvious love she feels for her family, will get the audience dabbing at their eyes.

The diverse twist that makes the movie worthwhile seeing is the simple question behind it – Who is in the right here, and how can a legal decision be made on such grounds? On one hand you have Sara Fitzgerald, who loves both her daughters, but is determined to put her everything into saving Kate’s life, even if that means having Anna donate, against her will or not. On the other hand, you have Anna, with the knowledge she was born for a specific purpose, who considers her sister her best friend, but wants her right to be able to make decisions for her own body – with the knowledge Kate will die without her help. It’s easy to jump back many times throughout the movie, before coming to the somewhat frustrating conclusion that – there is no right answer.

Fans of the book, will be disappointed with the ending of the film, which I’ll just add, does not stay true to the book in the slightest. I’ll readily admit right here, I would have cried had the ending been the original one. However just as I felt a tad teary with the very real portrayal of Kate’s final days, my annoyance came in the overcome this, when I realised the ending had changed. This is the end, spoiled the movie for me.
In having said that though, My Sisters Keeper is a well made, and a well acted out film. While believable for the most part, it is slightly let down by the ending – Fans of the book, may be disappointed with the unreal ending, and the false pretense of everybody playing ‘happy families’ in the end. People who didn’t read the book previously will find it a thought provoking and emotional film to watch, but nevertheless it is a worthwhile cinema experience.