My Sister's Keeper (2009)

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes | 109 minutes | drama | Actors: Abigail Breslin, Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Sofia Vassilieva, Walter Raney, Heather Wahlquist, Evan Ellingson, Alec Baldwin, Nicole Marie Lenz, Brennan Bailey, Olivia Hancock, Jeffrey Markle, Emily Deschanel, John DeRosa, Marcos A. Ferraez, Noni Tulk-Perna, Joan Cusack

Vanity is no stranger to Hollywood stars, no matter how young they are. For the lead roles in his 2009 film My Sister’s Keeper, about a terminally ill teenage girl and her younger sister, director Nick Cassavetes had his eye on Dakota and Elle Fanning. When Dakota heard that she had to shave her head for the part, she dropped out. She didn’t want to lose her luscious blond locks. Elle also withdrew. Fortunately there was Sofia Vassilieva, who was willing to shave her hair and eyebrows. They will grow back after all, she must have thought. Moreover, it was the least she could do to understand the pain her character Kate is going through, she admitted. Since she was also appearing on the television series “Medium” at the same time as shooting ‘My Sister’s Keeper’, her long hair was turned into a gorgeous wig so that no one outside of the movie set noticed she was actually bald.

‘My Sister’s Keeper’ is a first-rate tearjerker. At the center is the Fitzgerald family, at first sight a model family. Father Brian (Jason Patric) is a heroic firefighter, mother Sara (Cameron Diaz) a successful lawyer. They have two children, Jesse (Evan Ellingson) and Kate (Sofia Vassilieva). However, it soon becomes apparent that their daughter is seriously ill. She has an incurable form of leukemia and will not grow old. Sara and Brian are at their wits’ end, desperately wondering what to do. A doctor tells them that a brother or sister with exactly the same genetic makeup could be the solution. That child can then serve as a donor for Kate. Not thinking about the consequences, Sara and Brian decide to go for it. The girl Anna (Abigail Breslin) is born and soon she has to donate bone marrow, stem cells and blood to prolong her sister’s life. For eleven years she undergoes the countless painful operations without resistance – after all, she has no idea what is going on.

Until she realizes at a certain point that she no longer feels like it. She also has a life ahead of her. When her sister needs a kidney, she refuses to give it to her parents. Anna even goes to a lawyer (Alec Baldwin) to enforce ‘medical emancipation’. Is this an act of selfishness or an ultimate declaration of love to her older sister? In any case, it tears the Fitzgerald family further apart. Mother Sara is so busy saving Kate’s life that she neglects her other children. Kate herself feels guilty about the problems within the family and father Brian stands in between and refuses to take sides. Anna, Jesse and Kate try to get their mother to finally listen to them.

We know Nick Cassavetes from the old-fashioned romantic drama ‘The Notebook’ (2004), which did surprisingly well with the mostly female part of the film audience. Also with ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ he raises the emotional tensions again. The premise of the film – based on a story by Jodi Picoult – is quite bizarre, but certainly not inconceivable. It is precisely by broaching the donor discussion that Cassavetes (son of actor/director John Cassavetes and actress Gene Rowlands) stirs up interesting ethical issues. And even though it may be a shame that he doesn’t elaborate on it, it still makes the viewer think. Because how far can you go when it comes to (child) organ donation? In the second half of the film, Cassavetes abandons those interesting issues and focuses more on the conventional drama of a family shattered by a sick child. Developments that will leave few people cold. For example, the terminally ill Kate gets an equally ill boyfriend (Thomas Dekker – no, not the cyclist) with whom she experiences some heartwarming moments. The ending of this short but intense romance is predictable, but that doesn’t make it any less intense.

It is striking how strong the young actors are in this film. Especially Sofia Vassilieva in her brave role as Kate is very strong. Very daring of such a young actress to take on such a heavy role! Nor is one afraid to show the physical deterioration of someone so seriously ill; Kudos to the makeup folks. Breslin and Ellingson have less challenging roles than Vassilieva but are also in good shape. We haven’t often seen Cameron Diaz in serious roles, but she shows here that she can handle being the happy beautiful girl for once – although she is played out by Vassilieva and she breaks down in her hysteria for a moment. Jason Patric is also not exactly known as a versatile actor, but here comes out well as the compassionate, sympathetic father of the family. Alongside Baldwin, who is just doing his thing, we see Joan Cusack in a standout role as a judge. Camera work and other technical aspects are perfectly fine.

‘My Sister’s Keeper’ has been burned down by some (American) critics because the film is said to be too manipulative. But if you want to let your emotions play on, you won’t mind. After all, we also saw this in Cassavetes’ earlier work; apparently sentiment is its strong point. It has also been written that the director has shown too little courage in making his film: he does not dare to take a position in the ethical discussions he opens up, as a result of which he does not fully express the point he wants to make. That is indeed true. But should a film be judged solely on its guts? Of course Cassavetes could have gotten a lot more out of his intriguing premise than he does now, but that doesn’t make this unadulterated tearjerker (manipulated or not) a bad film. So ladies, get the handkerchiefs ready!