The Lazarus Child (2005)

A road accident leaves seven-year-old Frankie Heywood gravely injured and deeply comatose, when she is hit by a bus, and her twelve-year-old brother Ben severely depressed and traumatised ... See full summary »

Director:

Graham Theakston

Writer:

Ronald Bass (screenplay)

Stars:

Andy Garcia, Frances O'Connor, Angela Bassett

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Garcia	...	Jack Heywood
Frances O'Connor	...	Alison Heywood
Angela Bassett	...	Dr. Elizabeth Chase
Harry Eden	...	Ben Heywood
Geraldine McEwan	...	Janet
Daniella Byrne	...	Frankie Heywood
Christopher Shyer	...	John Boyd
Julian Christopher	...	Elliot Chase
Jaimz Woolvett	...	Nathan Greenwater
Louis Ferreira	...	Lewis Kern (as Justin Louis)
Gillian Carfra	...	Pam
Stephen McHattie	...	Chief Prosecutor Warner
Robert Joy	...	Senator Willis
Nicholas Gecks	...	Dr. Trevor Stanhope
Ciaran O'Driscoll	...	Colin Winstanley (as Ciaran O'Driscall)

Storyline

A road accident leaves seven-year-old Frankie Heywood gravely injured and deeply comatose, when she is hit by a bus, and her twelve-year-old brother Ben severely depressed and traumatised after he witnessed the event. Their parents, Jack and Alison, have to put aside their fights over their unstable marriage to focus on their damaged children. But as life looks as if it will never improve for the Heywoods, Jack and Alison hear of a controversial medical therapy that could cajole Frankie from her coma. The treatment involves communicating with the comatose patient to coax them back to consciousness and Ben is the key to unlocking Frankie from her sleep. But will the Heywoods risk their son to save their daughter...?

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Plot Keywords:

unconventional medicine | maverick doctor | conventional medicine | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Details

Country:

Italy USA Canada UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 2006 (Italy)

Also Known As:

L'ultima porta

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

CAD 488 (Canada), 2 December 2007, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eagle Pictures, Illusion Entertainment Corporation, Midsummer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Go Where Love Goes
Written by Jack Lenz, Asher Lenz and Ciro Dammicco
Lyrics by Jack Lenz
Performed by Andrea Bocelli and Holly Stell
©2004 Don't Blink Music / Cherry Lane Music

User Reviews

Great movie!!!

I also saw this film at a free screening with a friend. I thought that it had soul. Yes they tried to make it an action film but it still worked....mainly because of some great performances by the boy played by Harry Eden, Alison Heywood played by Frances O'Connor and Elizabeth Chase played by Angelia Bassett. Although the script was flawed and the music was not appropriate the film was a very interesting comment on our relationships with our family and our friends.

What would you do if you lost a family member to a coma?

You would probably stop at nothing to try to bring them out. I think that that was who the Elizabeth Chase character was - a person who would go the distance to get the little girl out of a bad situation. Her character brought hope to the Heywood family in a time of no hope. They had nowhere to turn. On top of that the private clinic they go to in is shut down by the Police. A bad situation when you are desperately in need of help....

I thought that the film looked great as well. The director of photography (Lukas Strebel) did a great job.

Basically this was another Ron Bass script that needed some work but was pulled out the "Not great" category by some good directing and strong performances.

See it in the cinema for the wide screen format. It will not transfer to video well....unless you have a 50" gas plasma screen. :-)