12 minutes that'll wreck your faith in hospitals forever. Bring tissues and rage.
One of a series of short, open-ended dramas designed to stimulate discussion of values and ethics in relation to modern medical technology. This film considers the chronic patient's right to quality care, and the acutely ill patient's right to a hospital bed. Jean is suffering from multiple sclerosis and is almost completely paralyzed. It seems that the only ones who care about her are the nurses. With the arrival of a patient in need of an operation, it becomes apparent that chronic patients have little priority.
Acting
Sophie Clément's paralysis performance with only her eyes.
Direction
Cynthia Scott's cramped framing = claustrophobic dread.
Director
Cynthia Scott
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a National Film Board series used in actual medical ethics training—this was homework for future doctors.
Cynthia Scott later won an Oscar for 'Flamenco at 5:15'—her documentary eye for bodies in space started here, in Jean's trapped stillness.
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