This is inspired by a rather incredible true story about a hairdresser Sharon who manages to against all odds bring a community together to support a widowed father, Ed and fight for the life of his critically ill young daughter Michelle.
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Everything about the way Sharon enters the family’s life is a bit strange really, considering she had read the story about the mother dying in the paper and just decided to turn up to the funeral and then met young Michelle. She struggled with drinking and turning her focus to the family seemed to be a way to cope with that.
Torturing herself for the choices throughout her life and the relationship that she lacks with her son, although we don’t fully get that story but just touched upon at different stages. We cannot help but feel it is a little weird how she suddenly starts trying to control Ed’s life, but given the amount of debt of the hospital bills he really did need that help. His mother Barbara welcomes the help and adds some rather amusing moments to different scenes.
It was crazy just how everything was going wrong for the family and when they eventually have a transplant sorted, it just happened to be at the same time as a horrendous snowstorm and attempting to get planes and then even a helicopter to be able to get to the right hospital within the time frame!
I have to admit that I was not emotionally prepared for the impact that this film was going to have, and that was largely due to the performances on display. It also raises important points around organ transplants, as a liver transplant was needed in this story. How it really can save lives and in the case of the US how the medical costs manage to take away lives as well.
Hilary Swank has been one of my favorite actresses for a very long time now and it was great to see her in a leading role like this one again. Alan Ritchson was good alongside her as well. Emily Mitchell was a little scene stealer as Michelle, with Nancy Travis offering some good support.
