Lorenzo's Oil
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Lorenzo's Oil'' is a 1992 American
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
film directed and co-written by George Miller. It is based on the true story of
Augusto and Michaela Odone Augusto Daniel Odone (March 6, 1933 – October 24, 2013) and Michaela Teresa Murphy Odone (January 10, 1939 – June 10, 2000) were the parents of Lorenzo Michael Murphy Odone (May 29, 1978 – May 30, 2008), a child with the illness adren ...
, parents who search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's
adrenoleukodystrophy Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a disease linked to the X chromosome. It is a result of fatty acid buildup caused by peroxisomal fatty acid beta oxidation which results in the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids in tissues throughout the b ...
(ALD), leading to the development of
Lorenzo's oil ''Lorenzo's Oil'' is a 1992 American drama film directed and co-written by George Miller. It is based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, parents who search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), leading t ...
. The film was shot in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, primarily from September 1991 to February 1992. It had a limited release in North America on December 30, 1992, with a nationwide release two weeks later, on January 15, 1993. Though it was a box office disappointment, grossing $7.2 million against its $30 million budget, the film was generally well received by the critics and garnered two nominations at the
65th Academy Awards The 65th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1992 in the United States and took place on March 29, 1993, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beg ...
.


Plot

Lorenzo is a bright and vibrant young boy living in the
Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands or Comoros (Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwes ...
, as his father Augusto Odone works for the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
and is stationed there. However, after relocating with his parents to the United States, he begins to show signs of neurological problems (such as falling, loss of hearing, tantrums, etc.). The boy is diagnosed as having
adrenoleukodystrophy Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a disease linked to the X chromosome. It is a result of fatty acid buildup caused by peroxisomal fatty acid beta oxidation which results in the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids in tissues throughout the b ...
(ALD), which is fatal within two years. Failing to find a doctor capable of treating their son's rare disease, Augusto and his wife,
Michaela Michaela (Hebrew מיכאלה) is a female given name. It is a female form of the Hebrew name Michael (מִיכָאֵל), which means "Who is like God". As of 2008, it was 357th in rank for newborn girls in the United States, and 325th in England ...
, set out on a mission to find a treatment to save their son. In their quest, the Odones clash with doctors, scientists and a support group that is skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. But they persist, setting up camp in medical libraries, reviewing animal experiments, enlisting the aid of Professor Gus Nikolais, badgering researchers, questioning top doctors all over the world and even organizing an international symposium about the disease. Despite research dead-ends, the horror of watching their son's health decline and being surrounded by skeptics (including the coordinators of the support group they attend), they persist until they finally hit upon a possible therapy. The Odones sponsor an international meeting of scientists doing research on ALD, requiring two conditions ahead of time. First they insist that the meeting focus on potential treatments and second, they require that they be allowed to participate, despite being non-scientist laypeople. The pivotal scene in the movie portrays this meeting, in which the scientists are presenting their research. When Dr. William B. Rizzo mentions his studies in which the addition of oleic acid to cultured cells blocked accumulation of the factors which cause ALD, the Odones jump into the conversation, asking if this oil might help their son. Although the scientists play down their hope, pointing out that it would take years of work to produce the oil and test in clinical trials, the Odones seize the promise of this possible curative treatment. As the scene ends, Michaela Odone is shown beginning the effort to find someone able and willing to produce the same oil Dr. Rizzo gave to his cells. They contact over 100 firms around the world until they find an elderly British chemist, Don Suddaby, who is working for
Croda International Croda International plc is a British speciality chemicals company based at Snaith, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by George William Crowe and Henry James Dawe in 1925. Crowe bought an abando ...
and is willing to take on the challenge of distilling the proper formula. The Odones obtain a precious vial of the oil (actually containing two specific long chain fatty acids, isolated from rapeseed oil and olive oil) and add it to their son's diet. This treatment proves successful in normalizing the accumulation of the very long chain fatty acids (which had been causing their son's steady decline), as measured in blood levels. This treatment halts the progression of his disease and is dubbed "Lorenzo's Oil". This oil is soon found to be successful in preventing the progression of harm in other patients with ALD. Meanwhile, Lorenzo has a great deal of neurological damage, and the Odones are dismayed to see that the oil can reverse their son's symptoms only very, very slowly. The Odones realize that more rapid improvement of his son's severe condition will require treatments to repair the
myelin sheath Myelin is a lipid-rich material that surrounds nerve cell axons (the nervous system's "wires") to insulate them and increase the rate at which electrical impulses (called action potentials) are passed along the axon. The myelinated axon can be l ...
(a
lipid Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids includ ...
insulator) around the nerves, and Augusto is shown taking on the new challenge of organizing biomedical efforts to heal myelin damage in patients. Finally, Lorenzo, at the age of 14, shows definite improvement (swallowing for himself and answering "yes" or "no" questions by blinking) and it is revealed that he has regained his sight, can move his head from side to side, vocalize simple sounds and is learning to use a computer. The movie ends with scenes of ALD patients who were treated with Lorenzo's Oil earlier in the course of their disease. In these patients the devastating neurological degeneration from which Lorenzo suffered was able to be prevented.


Cast


Production

Principal photography for ''Lorenzo's Oil'' began on September 9, 1991 in
Ben Avon, Pennsylvania Ben Avon is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,918 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The name, Ben Avon, comes from Scottish for "hill of th ...
. Possibly to emphasize the “everyman" aspect of the plot (the notion that a cure could affect families and individuals anywhere), many smaller roles were played by inexperienced actors or non-actors with unusual physical features and mannerisms. For example, the poet
James Merrill James Ingram Merrill (March 3, 1926 – February 6, 1995) was an American poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1977 for ''Divine Comedies.'' His poetry falls into two distinct bodies of work: the polished and formalist lyri ...
was noticed by a casting director at a New York public reading of his poetry. His rarefied speaking cadences were utilized in a symposium scene in which he played a questioning doctor.


Music

The film uses Allegri's Miserere, Edward Elgar's cello concerto, as well as
Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
's
Adagio for Strings ''Adagio for Strings'' is a work by Samuel Barber, arguably his best known, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year that he wrote the quart ...
and Mozart's Ave verum corpus K.618. The opening song is "Kijana Mwana Mwali" ( Swahili, "Song about a Young Lady"), sung by the Gonda Traditional Entertainers. A 1960 recording of Maria Callas with the La Scala orchestra and chorus is heard singing selections from Bellini's ''
Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid *Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...
'' at several points. The music for the Easter Midnight Mass scene is a
Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...
hymn, "Bogoroditse Devo" (Rejoice, O Virgin) from "Three Choruses from 'Tsar Feodor Ioannovich'", taken from the album ''Sacred Songs of Russia'' by Gloriae Dei Cantores. Other music include
Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
's
Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the " Lamb of God" is honoured within the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin liturgical tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and ...
and
Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
's Symphony No. 5.


Reception


Critical response

Roger Ebert of the ''
Chicago Sun Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' gave the film four out of four stars and called it an "immensely moving and challenging movie", adding that "it was impossible not to get swept up in it."
James Berardinelli James Berardinelli (born September 25, 1967) is an American film critic and former engineer. His reviews are mainly published on his blog ''ReelViews.'' Approved as a critic by the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, he has published two collections of r ...
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."
Review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
retrospectively collected reviews from 39 critics to give the film a score of 92%, with an average rating of 7.10/10, . The website's consensus reads, "A harrowing tribute to the heroism of parental love, ''Lorenzo's Oil'' is kept from abject misery by George Miller's sensitive direction and outstanding performances from Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.


Medical response

Though the film seemed to accurately portray the events related to the boy's condition and his parents' efforts during the time period covered by the film, it was criticized for falsely painting a picture of a miracle cure. Subsequent research with Lorenzo's oil has not clearly proven its long-term effectiveness in treating ALD after its onset. The actual subject of the film, Lorenzo Odone, died of pneumonia in May 2008 at the age of 30, having lived two decades longer than originally predicted by doctors.
Hugo Moser Hugo Moser (Buenos Aires, April 14, 1926 – Buenos Aires, December 16, 2003) was an Argentine Television producer, television/film producer and screenwriter. In 1977 he directed ''Basta de mujeres''. Moser died on December 16, 2003, at the age ...
, on whom the character of Professor Nikolais was based, called the film's portrayal of that character "an abomination".


Box office

The film grossed $7,286,388 domestically with a budget of around $30 million.


Accolades

Also, the film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: * 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated


See also

* ''
Voglia di vivere ''Voglia di vivere'' (''Desire for life'') is a 1990 Italian drama television film directed by Lodovico Gasparini. It is based on real life events of Augusto and Michaela Odone Augusto Daniel Odone (March 6, 1933 – October 24, 2013) and ...
'', a 1990 Italian television film depicting the same story. * ''Lorenzo'', a song by Phil Collins, released on the 1996 album ''
Dance into the Light ''Dance into the Light'' is the sixth solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released on 8 October 1996 in the United States and on 21 October 1996 in the United Kingdom by Face Value Records. It features guest ...
'', is based on a poem Michaela Odone wrote about Lorenzo. * ''
Extraordinary Measures ''Extraordinary Measures'' is a 2010 American medical drama film starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, and Keri Russell. It was the first film produced by CBS Films, the film division of CBS Corporation, who released the film on January 22, 20 ...
'', a 2010 film depicting the true story of another set of parents' struggle to find a cure for their children's rare disease.


References


External links

* * *
''Lorenzo's Oil''
at Oz Movies {{Nick Enright 1992 films 1990s English-language films 1992 drama films Drama films based on actual events Films directed by George Miller Films produced by George Miller Films set in the Comoros Films set in Pittsburgh Films shot in Pittsburgh Medical-themed films Universal Pictures films Films produced by Doug Mitchell Films with screenplays by George Miller Films set in the 1980s Films set in the 1990s Films about mother–son relationships Films about father–son relationships American drama films American films based on actual events 1990s American films Films about disability