American Doctor
As the situation in Gaza intensified, medical volunteers arrived to not only help, but to bear witness. Dr. Mark Perlmutter, a Jewish physician, became friendly with Palestinian American Dr. Thaer Ahmad on their way over, naively learning that Gaza was not full of terrorists, the two partnering for several CNN broadcasts in which Perlmutter claims Ahmad thinks intelligently while he thinks emotionally. Dr. Feroze Sidhwa is the Zoroastrian son of immigrants who laughs when questioned about videos of Hamas tunnels beneath a hospital Israel has bombed, stating that the video is a CGI lie as no tunnels are there. Many believe claiming Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people is anti-Semitic, but what if it has all been witnessed by an "American Doctor?"
Laura's Review: A-
Director Poh Si Teng opens her film questioning whether using the photos Perlmutter has of dead children will be offensive to the families. Perlmutter assures her this is not so, as he not only has permission to use these photos, but that it is Israel who has robbed these children of their dignity and that it is our U.S. tax dollars that did this. Each of these three doctors (Ahmad, who has been there, is denied entry by Israel during the shooting of this documentary, then stopped by Homeland Security on his way back) say civilians are being targeted and that children are being shot in the head or chest far too regularly to have been caught in crossfire.
While Perlmutter and Sidhwa make their way to the Nasser Medical Complex, Ahmad notes that no hospital is safe since there was no accountability when the first one was hit, reeling off a long list targeted since then. Underlining the heroism of the medical personnel who are heading into Palestine, he adds that 'if the Israelis want to you kill, they will and they'll get away with it and the U.S. will let them get away with it even if you are a U.S. citizen.' We'll learn that after Dr. Sidhwa worked extensively to save a young boy, that child was incinerated in his hospital bed when the first missile strikes Nasser. Later we'll see the aftermath of a hit on the building's roof, a half dozen or so civil engineers inspecting the damage disappearing in front of our eyes when a second missile targets the same spot. Equally devastating is the juxtaposition of Mark's first trip to Gaza where he's greeted by laughing children, kids joyfully being kids, before Si Teng cuts to him experiencing a mass casualty event as severely injured and bloodied children come in on stretchers
While there are several shocking sequences of doctors responding to these type of events, "American Doctor" is more about their activism and the bravery required for them to speak out about what is happening in Gaza. It is noted several times than many are afraid to, their institutions often forbidding it. Perlmutter's more emotional statements on CNN are lightly criticized by Ahmad, who notes that while the Jewish doctor may have the leeway to say what he's saying, it could cause backlash for others, like himself. He also observes that he didn't foresee having to do social media campaigning and writing op-eds as part of his job as he and the others trudge the halls of the U.S. Capitol, meeting senators who give rehearsed responses, Cornyn stopping their entreaty with his pro-Israel stance.
Si Teng gives us a tour of what appears to be an ambulance graveyard, one twisted vehicle after another, before her end credits note that the Israelis have killed 1,700 healthcare professionals. "American Doctor" is as important a documentary about the oppression of Palestinians by the Israelis as "No Other Land," "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk" and the docudrama "The Voice of Hind Rajab," three American doctors from contrasting backgrounds uniting to condemn barbarity. As Perlmutter notes, one can love the country of Israel and its people while condemning its right-wing Fascist government.
Robin's Review: A-
Three American doctors – a Palestinian, a Jew and a Zoroastian – enter Gaza to help save lives. Instead, that mission of humanity becomes mired in the hostile political horror taking place for the "American Doctors."
There have been a number of documentaries about the horror of the Israeli bombing of innocent civilians in Gaza. "American Doctor" is the first, I think, that is told through the eyes of the America physicians treating the severely wounded – many of whom are little children - in the Nassar Medical Complex in southern Gaza.
Doctors Mark Perlmutter, is a Jewish American orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina, Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian American is an emergency physician from Chicago and Feroze Sidhwa, of Pakistani descent, is a trauma surgeon. They are at the hospital, during an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire, after making the trip, through Lebanon, to get to Gaza. And, they can be refused entry by the Israeli government at any time.
Malaysian-born director Poh Si Teng, with her medicos right up front, allows her cameras to show the destruction, even during the ceasefire, continuing with missile strikes on the hospital. The constant and fervent pleas by doctors, American and Palestinian, to the IDF to not target hospitals falls on deaf Israeli ears.
The physicians' stories are told through talking head media interviews, footage of the constant destruction being wrought by the showers of Israeli missiles and the aftermath the health care workers must face with constant casualties coming in. They face lack of medical supplies, too many patients and not enough health workers and the constant threat of death. (1700 health care personnel have died since the war began in October of 2023.)
The 91-minute documentary packs a lot of information about the conflict and, especially, the dedication of all the medical people who have given their time and skills, and sometimes lives, for those who need care. Though there to save lives, they must also face the politic ramifications of the war and the desperation of the people of Gaza,
There are no punches pulled, here, just an honest depiction of the savagery of war and those who try to put those injured back together.
Watermelon Pictures released "American Doctor" in select theaters on 8/14/26. Click here for theaters and playdates.
