My Sister's Keeper - Christmas Highlight

Now, normally when we hear the word 'highlight', we assume something happy, something joyous. However - as good as this film was, it was no happy experience. I, admittedly did not choose the film to watch, it was my sister's choice, telling me she had seen it before and that it was definitely worth seeing. Had it not been for the subtitles, I probably wouldn't have heard the film through the deafening sobs.

I thought this film was excellent, a truly touching story with incredible performances and approporately moody cinematography.

Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, 'My Sister's Keeper' tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who sues her parents for "medical emancipation" and the right not to donate a kidney to her sister, Kate, who is terminally ill with cancer. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) gives a very convincing and subtle performance which drives the emotional weight of the film. Her dying sister, played by Sofia Vassilieva, although not as demanding a role, is equally as convincing and along with Cameron Diaz, Joan Cusack and Alec Baldwin creates a film with uniquely powerful performances.

The gritty cinematography shows the landscapes of southern California in a different light, we truly feel for all the characters involved. One scene in particular, where, knowing that their daughter will die in a few days, Kate's parents grant her the wish of taking her to the beach. Watching her brother, sister and father play catch from under a blanket on the sand, Kate accepts and becomes at peace with her fate. This scene is a pivotal moment for Cameron Diaz's character as she accepts the inevetable and decides the spend some quality time in the last moments of Kate's life.

I found that, although and uncomfortable experience, it was a worthwhile one, a compresensive guide to evoking emotion in an audience.