Lucca’s World is an emotional film that certainly impacted me, but there’s a real story behind it. It’s based on Bárbara Anderson’s autobiographical book, “The Two Hemispheres of Lucca,” and it offers a raw perspective on parenting a child with cerebral palsy.
Background on the Book and Its Author
Bárbara Anderson is the book’s author. The Argentinian journalist chronicled her family’s journey as they looked for medical options for their son’s cerebral palsy.
Bárbara’s single, important mission when writing the book was to highlight the emotional strain and logistical struggles that parents face when a child has a chronic illness. She wanted to show the daily challenges and pain of parents’ love for children in these situations.
Barbara wanted to tell the world about her experiences, and now, not only is this in a successful book but also in a Netflix film.
From Book to Film
The book documents the family’s challenging trip to India to try out an experimental treatment for Lucca. Ranging from emotional and financial struggles, the complexities of opting for medical treatment abroad, the seizures Lucca suffered during the journey, and the challenging discussions the family had with healthcare professionals.
Such was the power of her story and its resonance with readers that Bárbara and her husband Javier Peñalosa decided to adapt their autobiographical book into a film.
However, as the film alludes to at the start, while Lucca’s World stays true to the story, some creative liberties are taken:
- Certain characters and events are altered slightly for dramatic purposes. The narrative emphasizes engagement with medical professionals, while the book focuses more on the family’s emotional struggles.
- In general, the film is strong on the ethical dilemmas of experiment treatments. This shift in the movie was to highlight the bureaucratic hurdles, especially when it comes to medical advancements. The FDA in America and the bureaucracy in a Mexican hospital were significant to the story of Lucca’s World. As stated in the book, Bárbara championed bringing the “Cytotron” treatment to Mexico.
Overall, the film did not depart from the spirit of Bárbara Anderson’s book but instead enhanced aspects of the story to include the macro concerns of medical science and technology. While some characters’ names are changed, this is expected in the context of topics surrounding medicine.
The credibility of the film has been noticed, too. Lía Rueda, a critic from EscribiendoCine, says:
“Motivation and hope are the pillars of this cinematic gem that raises awareness about childhood disabilities and medical advances that seek to improve lives.”
Here is the trailer for the film:
