Silver Screen Mornings: Bigger Than Life

After collapsing in class, schoolteacher Ed Avery is hospitalized and diagnosed with a fatal arterial condition. Doctors estimate he has only months to live. In an effort to extend his life, Ed agrees to undergo an experimental cortisone treatment. The results appear immediate and dramatic, restoring his physical health and allowing him to return home.

Soon after, however, his wife Lou begins to observe pronounced changes in his behavior, including severe mood swings and erratic decision-making. His colleague and friend Wally also notices the shift and eventually uncovers that Ed has been misusing the prescribed cortisone. The film follows the unraveling of Ed’s mental state and the strain placed on his family as a result of the treatment’s psychological side effects.