Lorenzo's Oil (1992) review

Upon returning to the United States from the Comoro Islands, five-year-old Lorenzo Odone (Zack O'Malley Greenburg) starts exhibiting behavioral problems that land him in the hospital, where he's eventually diagnosed with neurological disorder adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD for short) which has no cure, but his parents Augusto (Nick Nolte) and Michaela (Susan Sarandon) are determined to find a way to help him, have conversations with Prof. Gus Nikolais (Peter Ustinov), join a support group, do research into what kind of diet he needs ... and concoct a triglyceride mixture, which is made from olive and rapeseed oil, to feed him.  It's based on a true story and director Miller (best known for the Mad Max franchise) is making good use of his personal background as a physician, turning his two leads into medical detectives facing an AIDS-like crisis as they face umpteen roadblocks from every direction, and even a few people suggest they give up and let the boy die (which isn't an option for them).  The power of the movie is compromised, however, by the questionable stylistic choices - the Dutch angles, the zooms, the fevered 'acting' and repeating Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings ... and then there's Nolte's Italian accent.  But the main takeaways are: (a.) never underestimate the love of family and (b.) you might want to trust the science.