Steel Magnolias (Steel Magnolias)

Original title: Steel MagnoliasCountry and year: USA, 1989 Genre: Drama Cast: Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine Medical topics: diabetes, kidney transplant Description: The story takes place in the small town of Chinquapin, in the southern United States. Among its residents is a group of female friends. These women spend most of their time gossiping, arguing, bantering, and pampering themselves at the local beauty salon. Although they have numerous problems, they lead peaceful, happy lives. We meet the characters on the wedding day of one of them—Shelby (Roberts), a young woman with diabetes. She decides, despite medical warnings, to have a baby. And although the pregnancy and delivery go smoothly, health problems arise shortly thereafter. As it turns out, they will affect not only Shelby’s life, but also the lives of the other women. The medical storyline is very well developed here, although diabetes is portrayed more from the patient’s perspective than the doctor’s. In addition to the disease itself, the film also depicts its complications and the challenges the patient faces in daily life. In my opinion, it’s a very moving film with excellent performances. It has also been recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.