Eli

There are a lot of things i have seen in health care. When you have worked for 20 years with different patients, you get to see a lot of people with different diagnoses or disabilities. And i have met many wonderful people in health care, and thanks to them i have learned that there is no point in complaining about small things. You enjoy life as much as possible, even if you have rough moments in your life. The hardest part of my work have been working with very ill children. I especially remember one little boy, who could not breath on his own and not eat ordinary food. This was heartbreaking, but i wanted to make sure that everything i did for him was as good as possible. And we had some good times together, even if he could not talk with his mouth. He gave me face expressions, and i read his eye language. Even though this boy was very ill, he was always happy. I even made him laugh, telling him crazy things i have been through. When it comes to films with children who are sick, we have a lot of titles to choose between. One of the films that came to my mind, is the 2009 film known as My Sister´s Keepers. A very tragic drama film, about the young girl Kate Fitzgerald ( played really well by actress Sofia Vassilieva ) who is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. This film really show you how such a young girl is suffering, and how her family is trying to do anything to help her survive this horrible disease. Directed by Nick Cassavetes ( the director of John Q ), this is a film that will bring out tears in you. Actress Cameron Diaz also does a great performance in this film. I have heard about a new Netflix film called Eli, that is supposed to tell the story of young boy with a rare disease, who is about to try a new treatment. A horror film with health care issues, and paranormal activities combined, is Eli one of the better Netflix films this year, or should Netflix have made a tribute documentary of the greatest Swedish actor ever Dolph Lundgren instead ?

Eli Miller ( Charlie Shotwell ) is a young boy suffering from a rare disease that causes allergic reactions to the outdoors, forcing him to live his life with protective gear. His parents Rose Miller ( Kelly Reilly ) and Paul Miller ( Max Martini ) have decided to take Eli to Dr. Isabella Horn ( Lili Taylor ) to her secluded medical facility. The treatment is supposed to help Eli get better. Since Eli´s parents are willing to do anything to help Eli from his disease, they trust on Dr. Horn and her medical team. During treatment, Eli is suddenly being contacted by something mysterious in the house, as if he is being warned about something. Did something happened in the past, and is this medical facility keeping a hidden secret ?

One of the things that i appreciate with this film, is that we get to see from a child´s perspective, how it is being a patient. And when you see the main character Eli suffer through treatment, you can´t deny that this will affect you emotionally. But there is another part of Eli that works as well, and that is that the horror elements are really effective here. Just imagine being a sick child who already suffered enough, and now you have to deal with something supernatural as well. Young actor Charlie Shotwell ( who i really feel gave a very powerful performance in the independent drama comedy film Captain Fantastic ) as Eli is really good. He manage to bring out Eli´s personality in a very effective way through his performance. English actress Kelly Reilly ( who i really enjoyed in the horror thriller Eden Lake ) gives a really strong performance as Eli´s mother Rose. Kelly knows exactly how to construct a character in her own special way, and i am so pleased to see her in this film. Legendary actress Lili Taylor ( she is so good in The Conjuring, and Brooklyn´s Finest ) as Dr. Horn is another performance i admire. The horror story may not bring anything new to the table, but what this film does, is make you think about treatments in a different way. What if not all treatments are as effective as you may think they would be ? What do you do if you are running out of options, and don´t know what else to do to make your child healthier ? This is any parents nightmare, and this is something that makes this film more interesting than most ordinary horror films. Director Ciarán Foy ( who directed the awful film Sinister 2, but i did enjoy his Irish horror film Citadel ) have really stepped it up with Eli, and i am impressed that he have found a way to tell this story in such a effective way. The only thing i would have liked to see more of, is perhaps a stronger ending. Other than that, i suggest you see this Netflix horror film and i hope you will enjoy it as well. One thing is for sure, i am not getting any treatments soon after experiencing Eli, unless it includes vodka, then i might be interested.

Rating: DDD