Marvin's Room (Marvin's Room)

Production and year: USA, 1996 Genre: Drama Screenplay: Scot McPherson Director: Jerry Zaks Music: Rachel Portman Cast: Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Hume Cronyn Medical topics: leukemia, stroke, mental disorders, back pain Description: "Marvin's Room" is a beautiful film about a person's transformation in the face of a loved one's illness. Bessie (Diane Keaton) has been caring for her father, who has been bedridden since suffering a stroke, for 20 years, as well as, to some extent, her elderly aunt, who suffers from back pain and is unable to function fully independently. After initially diagnosing Bessie with vitamin deficiency, her attending physician (Robert De Niro) ultimately diagnoses her with leukemia. She undergoes chemotherapy, but the best treatment for her is a bone marrow transplant. For this reason, she contacts her sister, with whom she completely severed ties twenty years ago when Lee refused to help her care for their sick father. Lee (Meryl Streep) also has two sons, potential bone marrow donors, though one of them, released on parole from a psychiatric hospital, refuses to consent to the necessary tests. Bessie’s situation is particularly difficult because, while aware of her impending death, she fears most of all leaving her father and aunts alone, not trusting that social workers will provide adequate care.