PORTRAYAL OF LOSS AND SUFFERING IN LITERATURE AND ART- A REVIEW OF “LORENZO’S OIL”

Abstract

Cinema has always been a powerful means of cultural, social and educational propaganda and people seem to be more receptive to the audio-visual media than just audio or print. Thus, films or movies have become a very effective means of social dissemination of information. The films are a reflection of the society and their stories come from society itself. The stories of the films do not just come from the present situation of societies around the world, rather since the time societies have been in existence. They revolve around a variety of themes ranging from romance to thriller or from science fiction to serious documentaries. A very crucial genre of films which began during the era of the ’70s communicated about the sufferings in human lives. The pivotal role in this genre was played by the films which revolved around the depiction of life-threatening diseases. This paper discusses the role and significance of cinema in unfolding the atrocities faced by the sufferers and how they handle it. The aim of this paper is to present the subject of suffering and death in contemporary cinema with the example of the film “Lorenzo’s oil”. The research not only explains how suffering is shown on the big screen, but also reveals the medical community's approach to patients in case of diagnosing and treating serious and rare diseases.