MY SISTER’S KEEPER

Directed by Nick Cassavetes. A harrowing—but ultimately redemptive—depiction of what living with serious illness does to families, this drama also explores the ethics of choice. Abigail Breslin plays 11-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, conceived in a Petri dish to be the perfect genetic donor to her older sister, who is dying of leukemia. After a lifetime of painful surgical procedures, Anna sues for "medical emancipation"—the right to control her own body, even if her choice will kill her older sister. Strong acting drives home harsh scenes of terminal illness and fierce conflicts between stressed-out family members in a movie Roger Ebert called "an immediate audience-grabber." Also stars Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Sofia Vassilieva, Evan Ellinson, and Thomas Dekker. Grades 8 and up. Color. 109 minutes. New Line. ©2009.