A FIGHTING CHOICE
US, 1986, 90 minutes, Colour.
Patrick Dempsey, Beau Bridges, Karen Valentine, Lawrence Pressman.
Directed by Ferdinand Fairfax.
A Fighting Choice was produced by the Disney Studios and is aimed at a family audience. It focuses on a 16-year-old who suffers from severe epilepsy. It presents the ailment severely, but tries to focus on the possibilities for help, for medical assistance, even operations, as well as to self-affirmation and joining in normal life. it highlights the concern, perhaps the loving over-concern, of parents for the afflicted child.
The film heightens its plot by having a boy sue his parents for the court's permission to have an experimental operation. It highlights the dramatic aspects of living with epilepsy, having daily seizures, the possibility of an operation to relieve, even though it is highly risky.
Beau Bridges and Karen Valentine are the parents, Patrick Dempsey (Can't Buy Me Love) is the focus of the film. The film was directed by Ferdinand Fairfax (Savage Islands).
1. Impact of the film? Its being designed for a family audience by the Disney Studios? Picture of epilepsy, suffering? Remedies?
2. The title and the issues: health, life, rights, age, the law?
3. The focus on Callan: his health situation, his age, history of epilepsy, and seizures, the opening with the scan, his place in the family, his having episodes, the difficulties with his study, the need for a tutor, the encounter with Suzy and her friendship, jogging, standing her up, telling her the truth? His relationship with his parents? Concealing the seizures from then? The graphic presentation of the grand mal? Interviews with the doctors? His discovering the articles? Going to the lawyer, the fights in the family, clashes With his brother, the decision to go ahead with the case? The media's treatment of it? His moving out, with the lawyer and her husband? Suzy's support? The court case, his rights? The interrogations? Ell and his history? The verdict? His parents not appealing against it? His reconciliation with his brother? The operation and his waking, his smile? Character, determination?
4. The family, the parents - ordinary, caring, school, expense, Dr. Tobin, the articles, the decision against the operation, their upset, Callan's decision, their trying to argue him out of it, his statement that his father forced his opinion on him? The media? Telephone calls? The court, the parents being hurt, the interrogation? The verdict? The hopeful ending? Harvey, his place in the family, small, being ignored, talked over? His reconciliation with Callan?
5. Suzy, attractive girl, the coaching, the jogging, her being stood up, the hurt, his telling the truth, her affirmation, help, support? The end? The kiss and his recognition?
6. The doctors and their care, information, explanation of operations, their testimony in court and the details of the risks in procedures? The consequences?
7. The lawyer and her help, her performance in court? Ell and the explanation of h-is operation, the experiment with his using sight to link the left- and right-hand halves of the brain? Epilepsy - explanation, the audience experiencing it, the effect? Medication and control? Surgery?
8. The value of this kind of film for emotional response, understanding?
