The film "Lorenzo's Oil" depicts the challenges faced by the parents of a child with adrenoleukodystrophy, a neurological disorder that, they were told, was certainly fatal. The film contains a significant amount of chemistry, including concepts of fatty acid metabolism, enzyme inhibition, and the purification of substances. The film also raises important issues associated with "who does science?" and "who decides what science is done?" Those sociological issues are important in engaging nonscience majors in the learning of science and the film has been used for several years at the beginning of a course for elementary education majors. A thematically similar film, "Extraordinary Measures," is also discussed.