A Lion in the House 

Dir. Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar. 2006, 225 mins. This expansive and unforgettable documentary follows five Ohio families over six years as they deal with the emotional and physical toll of childhood cancer. Shot on early digital video between 1997 and 2003 by Oscar-winning filmmakers Reichert (who passed away in 2022) and Bognar, the film sounds like a tough sit in description, yet one of the many remarkable things about A Lion in the House is its ability to make every moment—the tragic, the joyful, the mundane, the physical, the spiritual—feel all of one constant fluid slice of life. In 2006, Reverse Shot briefly got into the film distribution game when it released this film in theaters, where it belonged. “The filmmakers’ commitment to their subjects creates one of the most complex and unblinking portraits of life and death that has ever been put onscreen, but in the end, the film’s true power lies in the openness of the five children whose lives are already so unfathomably complicated.” —Danielle McCarthy, Reverse Shot 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.