The obvious forshadowing with the carpentry tools (I kept thinking ‘what if the neuro surgeon had no interest in carpentry, how would they have started the film??’), then padding-out scenes all building up to the “money shot” of the surgery itself, was appalling. The filmmaker is never interested in the patients, its a geek-show and they are the ‘geeks’. We never get to know the young man being operated on because that was never the point. We watch him walk around and listen to his thoughts about life and death only meant to heighten the possiblity of death within this documentary.

The filmmaking stained the whole film. The meeting with the family, I felt, was set up by the filmmaker. The scene with the young woman was like an unexpected catch by the filmmaker. “Yes! This will make them cry!”

Mind you, the film was emotional but at no part due to the filmmaker, but to the audience’s attempt at empathy towards the patients we briefly meet.

I liken it to seeing a road accident and seeing a lifeless body dangling within the wreckage.

And just to sound even more crotchety, the music added to that manipulative effect like watching a very-special episode of Home Improvement. Was it even necessary? Visuals were enough.

Thanks a bunch.