Ann Beckett

This is a wonderful film based on a true-life story. It stars Meryl Streep as Lori, a contented, if slightly harassed mother with three children. Out of the blue, the youngest child, Robbie, is diagnosed with a serious form of epilepsy. Everything has to go on hold as he goes into hospital for tests, and then increasingly unpleasant forms of treatment. The first drugs he is given turn him from a likeable, friendly child into a hyperactive violent screamer, and the family is told that when the first drugs taken do not help the condition, there is increasingly less chance that future ones will.

Since this takes place in America, the family get into increasingly difficult financial straits as they have to deal with Robbie's problems, due to some small print on their medical insurance. They seem to be at the mercy of the doctors, who are proposing drastic surgery on Robbie's skull as his seizures increase and his behaviour becomes worse.

Then Lori discovers that an unusual diet has helped a significant number of children with severe epilepsy. The doctors insist that it would not help, and that to take Robbie to a clinic to try it out would threaten his life. So the family have to make some very difficult decisions on his behalf....

I was totally captivated by this DVD, as were a few other people who watched it with me. Meryl Streep is always excellent, able, it seems, to play almost any role to perfection. The child who played Robbie was also extremely good. It was well-made and interesting as well as somewhat educational, and felt like a story rather than a documentary.

The one thing that spoiled the film - and which means I can't give it the five stars it deserved - was an appalling and screechy rendition of 'Somewhere over the rainbow' not just once but twice in the film, making us put our hands over our ears and wanting to turn the sound off.

Despite that one problem, I'd recommend it highly.… (meer)