The English surgeon is Henry Marsh, a British neuroscientist who has been traveling to Ukraine since 1992 to tutor, diagnose, and perform operations that the post-Soviet medical infrastructure is incapable of handling. Geoffrey Smith's well-meaning documentary takes risks: Contextual setup aside, the film's footage comes from a mere two weeks of shooting Marsh's umpteenth visit to remove an especially risky tumor. Smith has the guts to shoot/show graphic brain surgery and the sense to avoid maudlin testimonies from friends and family, knowing that no adoring relative could explain why a world-acclaimed scientist would sacrifice his time and mental health to repeatedly do the right thing for no reward. But I wish more attention had been focused on Marsh's Ukrainian friend Igor Kurilets's struggles with the country's proudly anachronistic medical... More >>>