Lorenzo's Oil

Lorenzo's Oil

The movie Lorenzo's Oil is about a boy, his family and their struggles to stick together through a life threatening disease. A family's togetherness is challenged in the event of unexpected change, like in this movie. The Odone family tested many factors of their family structure when Lorenzo was diagnosed with ALD. Some of factors that were tested and some also changed, as a result of this disease, were their environments, boundaries, cohesion, rules, and rituals.

The environments that Augusto, Michaela, and Lorenzo lived in, were ones in which change was common. In the beginning of the movie they moved from Africa where it was warm to a small town in the United States where there were many seasons. In their new environment the natural/physical part of it was the changes in temperature and the seasons. The air, plants, and animals around them were also part of their natural/physical environment. Part of their cultural/behavioral environment was the belief system they had attained throughout their lives. This included family Christmas dinners that they had and Michaela's attendance and belief in the church. There were many things in their constructed/technological environment. They had a house, clothing, hospitals that Lorenzo went to, the library where they did research, and many more organic materials from the natural environment constructed for their use.

There are two types of boundaries present at all times; those are physical and emotional. In the beginning their physical boundaries were well defined. They had their own rooms and traditional spots at the dinner table. As Lorenzo became more and more sick, he was moved out into the living room and was unable to eat at the table. Michaela's personal space was another physical boundary that changed. At first she allowed people in her personal space and was able to express her intimacy and anger, but as Lorenzo became sick, she did not want anyone in her space. Emotionally the boundaries in the family were relatively normal. They were all very close to one another emotionally, and they care about each other deeply.

The cohesion in this family was very high. They all had loyalty to each other and cared about each person in a sense of togetherness and individuality. As Lorenzo became sick this cohesion was tested, but because the cohesion was so high before he got sick, they were able to adapt well as a family unit.