One True Thing
One True Thing is a 1998 American drama film directed by Carl Franklin. It tells the story of a woman who is forced to put her life on hold in order to care for her mother who is dying of cancer. It was adapted by Karen Croner from the novel by Anna Quindlen. The novel and film are based on Anna Quindlens real life and her struggle of dealing with the death of her mother, Prudence Pantano Quindlen in 1972, due to ovarian cancer.
Ellen Gulden has a highpressure job writing for New York magazine. As the movie begins, she is visiting her family home for her fathers surprise birthday party. It becomes obvious that she deeply admires her father, George, a oncecelebrated novelist and college professor, but has barely restrained disdain for her mother, Kate, and the domestic life she lives. When it is discovered that Kate has cancer, George pressures Ellen to come home and take care of her mother. Ellen is taken aback by this request, knowing it could jeopardize her career and love interest, but finally agrees, caving in to her fathers appeals and inducements.As Ellen helps her mother with domestic chores while her father goes about his usual business without helping much, Ellen begins to reassess her views of her parents. She realizes she always brushed her mother aside and idealized her father, despite his selfcentered focus on his career and she discovers longtime habit of having flings with his female students. ........
Source: Wikipedia
