The Men (1950)

From Alibris: Fred Zinnemann's sensitive film on the plight of paraplegic WWII veterans features Marlon Brando in his superbly moving screen debut. He plays Lt. Bud Wilozek, one of a group of veterans recovering in the paraplegic ward of a hospital in his hometown. His former fiancée, Ellen (Theresa Wright), explains to his physician, Dr. Brock (Everett Sloane), her concern about his isolation and apparent depression since he has broken their engagment and refuses to see her. He counsels her to be patient, but when he decides to broach the issue with Bud, the embittered patient reacts angrily to the doctor's intrusiveness, and continues to refuse to see Ellen. The doctor cajoles the withdrawn paraplegic into the life of the ward, where fellow patients Richard Erdman, Jack Webb, and Arthur Jurado begin to pull Bud out of his spiritual miasma. At length, his sense of hope starts to return, and after seeing Ellen for the first time in months, he begins to contemplate the possibility of marriage. Zinnemann and screenwriter Carl Foreman spent a month in a veteran's hospital researching the film, and Brando lived in the paraplegic unit for a time as part of his preparation. Michael Costello, All Movie Guide 1950, 85 minutes

Recommended by Charles Katz

The English Surgeon (2007)

Get acquainted with the work of British brain surgeon Henry Marsh, who, since his haunting first visit to a Russian hospital in the early 1990s, has been devoted to founding a quality brain surgery clinic in the former Soviet Union. Marsh cobbles together secondhand tools and used equipment from hospitals in the U.K. to treat patients in need, such as Marian, a Ukrainian man for whom Marsh is his greatest hope. 2007 94 minutes

Henry Marsh, a leading British neurosurgeon who spends his holidays working 18 hour days for free in a Kiev operating theatre, must remove an enormous tumour from the brain of a Ukrainian man who will otherwise die. Anaesthetic is too risky so the patient is kept awake while a hole is bored through his skull using a second-hand household drill with a flat battery. Mr Marsh then performs the surgery, mindful that the slightest slip will kill, paralyse or alter Marian's personality forever. This is the pivotal moment in a documentary which is by turns funny, frightening and deeply moving."

2007, 84 minutes.

Murderball

Rugby-playing quadriplegics compete for the Paralympic gold medal in this documentary about an amazing sport and the strong-willed athletes who play full-contact rugby using specially designed wheelchairs. The film follows the U.S. Quad Rugby Team as they compete in the 2002 World Championships and the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. Murderball won the 2005 Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. 2005 85 Minutes

Incredibly inspirational and powerful.

Lorenzo's Oil

"Lorenzo's Oil is based on the true story of Augusto Odone (Nick Nolte) and his wife, Michaela (Susan Sarandon), as they fight to save the life and sanity of their son, Lorenzo (Zack O'Malley Greenburg). Lorenzo, diagnosed in early 1984 as a victim of ALD, an incurable degeneration of the brain, is beyond the help of conventional medicine. His parents, unwilling to give up the struggle even after participating in several failed therapies, begin their own investigation of the disease. Lorenzo's Oil follows the triumphs and tragedies of this search." 135 minutes

From Janet Maslin's NY Times review of Lorenzo's Oil
"Lorenzo's Oil" is the tough-minded, completely gripping story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, parents who responded magnificently after receiving the worst conceivable news about their child. At 5, Lorenzo Odone began exhibiting symptoms of what would soon be diagnosed as adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare and invariably fatal disease. The Odones were essentially told that the best they could do would be to make Lorenzo's last days comfortable. They were told that he would die within two years."

Postscript: Sadly, Lorenzo died in May of 2008. Obituary