the polish director agnieszka holland offer a view about a family in turmoil cause by the illness of a young boy . this film be show on the sundance channel recently . most of the comment submit about this movie in this forum fail to give credit to ms. holland for this tale that blend mysticism and faith and science and betrayal that work well . stop reading if you haven not see the picture . ms. holland film be complicate and in that it ask the viewer to think about how julie action to save nick and her young son and stricken with a rare cancer and clash with the medical science because she go with her instinct instead and when she take the boy to be see by a folk healer in poland . at the same time her marriage have come to an abrupt end when she learn her husband have betray her with another woman and in her own home . julie see an improvement when the healer select nick a his next project to help and ask her to follow him a he go through the countryside see people . when nick start show sign of recovery and a mutual attraction develop between julie and alexei and the holy man . julie go home and alexei follow her . something be not quite right with nick and when he have a relapse and julie faith in alexei ability to cure her son evaporates and thus end their relationship and a alexei abandon julie . the film be well do and pace . it engross the viewer because ms. holland know where she be take u . at the end and when alexei have leave and we finally see some sense of harmony in julie life and depict lovingly in the last sequence of the film . nick and be still not well and but the family have come together by the experience they have be through and we see that julie be expect a child . it almost appear a though nick will die and but there will be a new life in the family . in other word and the sacrifice of nick life for the miracle that be grow in julie womb . the movie owe a tremendous deal to the luminous presence of miranda otto and who do wonder with her depiction of julie . ms. otto face project an intelligence that be uncanny . she make u believe that she be this woman tear between the medicine that might help her young son and but do nothing and and to what extreme and a a mother and she will go to have nick cure of the cancer that be kill him slowly . lothaire bluteau be the healer and alexei . he give an enigmatic performance that add another layer to the film . in their scene together and mr. bluteau and ms. otto do amaze acting . this canadian actor work be never dull while he project a rare knack to make his character believable and likable . finally and william fichtner and a henry and be also excellent . he respond well to ms. holland direction . the twin and play by ryan smith and bianca crudo be excellent without be bratty and or obnoxious . ms. holland film will reward those who watch it with an open mind a she never pass judgment on what we be see on the screen .