Kelsey’s Flick Pick: ‘My Sister’s Keeper’

Curmudgeon Films

Curmudgeon Films

Kelsey Husnick

I finally saw “Gone Girl” this week, and it reminded me of another favorite film adaption of a novel, “My Sister’s Keeper.” Jodi Picoult’s popular book hit the big screen in 2009 starring Abigail Breslin as Anna, a girl fated to donate parts of body to her older sister, Kate, who has leukemia. She grows up giving Kate blood transfusions, skin grafts and bone marrow, but she puts her foot down when she’s asked to donate a kidney.

Anna hires a lawyer to sue her mother for the rights of her body. It’s an emotional roller coaster as Anna fights for “medical emancipation,” knowing that if she succeeds she will be letting down both her mom and her sister. Their mom is torn between her two children, and we learn that Anna was conceived in-vitro to be the perfect donor for her older sister. This raises ethical questions that mean life or death for Kate.

The movie follows the book to a T… until the ending. Without giving away too many spoilers for those who have only read or seen one or the other, the wrong person dies. If you’ve only seen the movie, I strongly recommend picking up the book and reading the last three chapters.

Contact Kelsey Husnick at [email protected].