the subject of child be terminally ill be difficult and sadden but the cure successfully portray the idea that it doesn not have to be all doom and gloom and and if anything and child need to have hope and delight in their life if they be to find peace before the end . it be also a film of remarkable bond of friendship and the innocence of childhood . the film see erik and a dysfunctional adolescent boy with a distant mother and move into a new area where their next door neighbour be eleven year old dexter and who contract aid through a blood transfusion . after his initial fear and ignorance over aid be allay and erik befriends dexter and their almost fraternal friendship see them embark on a journey down the mississippi to where they have hear about a new orleans doctor who claim to have find a cure for the disease . the talent from the two young lead of brad renfro and joseph mazzello and who play erik and dexter respectively and be exceptional . brad be able to portray erik harder edge without comprise the subtle childish innocence inherent to the character while joseph depict the sense of vulnerability to dexter character but inject the right amount of boyish enthusiasm and zeal to highlight that his illness doesn not mean he still isn not a child who want to run and play like any other eleven year old boy . the pair interaction create a feel in the audience that these be two boy who be genuinely close and they carry the film well . annabella sciorra also deliver a touching performance a dexter mother linda and who adore her son and delight in see him thrive with this new friendship to erik and eventually become a surrogate mother figure to the other boy . set against an excellent soundtrack and the cure be a very bittersweet film that manage to flawlessly weave the story of boyhood friendship that survive unflinchingly in the midst of prejudice and terminal illness without resort to sappiness or unnecessary saccharine sweet scene . a very interesting reflection in the film be that be it the adult who have the problem with dexter aid status whereas the child and even the bully and come to accept him a they would any other . what be also very touch be how and despite erik streetwise nature and he be the more naive one in his determination to cure dexter while the young boy have this haunting sense that he know his fate but be sweep away by his best friend enthusiasm for a cure . i highly recommend the cure for it be rare to find a film that be simultaneously sad and uplifting .