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Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper: Book to film
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Last Friday, My Sister’s Keeper opened in movie theaters nationwide. Directed by Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook), and adapted for the screen by Cassavetes and Jeremy Leven, the film is based on the bestselling novel by Jodi Picoult, originally published in 2004.
Picoult’s novel tells the heartbreaking story of the Fitzgerald family. Sara and Brian are the doting parents of two children—a boy, Jesse, and two-year-old Kate—when their daughter is diagnosed with leukemia and their reality is irrevocably changed. A third child, Anna, is conceived in desperation as a bone marrow match for Kate, and she spends the first thirteen years of her life in and out of hospitals, undergoing painful medical procedures so that her sister will have a chance to survive. Until Anna hires a lawyer to petition for medical emancipation so that she can have the rights to her own body.
The subject matter is heavy, but you would expect nothing less from Picoult. (Some well placed humor adds levity to the situation.) Employing her trademark use of multiple points of view, she does a masterful job of illuminating the dilemma from every perspective. While this technique may or may not sway the reader’s opinion, it serves as a catalyst for thought. As Picoult has stated, her missions as author is “starting a conversation.”
No one can deny that My Sister’s Keeper got people talking. So much so, in fact, that it is reportedly the most stolen title from high school libraries across the country. That it was also optioned by producers to be made into a feature film is yet another indication of its relevance.
The film version of My Sister’s Keeper does take some liberties. For instance, viewers will note that Anna, played by Abigail Breslin, is eleven, rather than a slightly more mature thirteen, as she was in the book. More noticeable, however—and more controversial—is the filmmakers’ decision to change the ending to one they found to be more suitable for general audiences.The author herself has expressed displeasure with this, recently telling a CT crowd, “Don’t give him (Cassavetes) any props right now.”
While the film may anger fans in this regard, it largely succeeds at staying true to Picoult’s vision in other areas. For instance, the use of multiple viewpoints is employed throughout, which both helps to introduce (and further develop) characters and present a well-rounded depiction of the central conflict. This allows viewers to see how the characters, all of whom have varying stakes, are ultimately impacted by the tragedy.
A tear-jerker of a movie, it does still manage to preserve the laugh-out-loud moments, and audiences will be grateful for this comic relief in an otherwise somber tale. The acting is admirable, and Cameron Diaz does an especially fine job of portraying Sara Fitzgerald, a mother whose sole purpose in life becomes the crusade to save her first daughter (even if that means sacrificing her other daughter in the process). But it’s Sofia Vassilieva as Kate who grounds the movie—and breaks your heart in the process. She brings a grace and charm to the character—and indeed a wisdom—that is beyond her years.
When it comes down to debating the merits of the book versus the film, I wouldn’t choose one over the other. Instead, I’d suggest that you experience both—they complement each other nicely, for the most part—and then make up your own minds…
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