The English Surgeon

Synopsis

What is it like to have God like surgical powers, yet to struggle against your own humanity? What’s it like to try and save a life, and yet to fail? Shot in a Ukrainian hospital full of desperate patients and makeshift equipment, this film is an intimate portrait of neurosurgeon Henry Marsh as he wrestles with the dilemmas of the doctor-patient relationship. “It’s like selling your soul to the devil, but what can you do? My baby son had a brain tumour and I was desperate for someone to help me. I simply can’t walk away from that need in others”

Directors' Biography

Geoffrey Smith was born in Melbourne, Australia and was always fascinated by the moving image. Having discovered through this very personal film that the camera could be a powerful tool in helping people through difficult periods in their lives, many of Geoffrey’s subsequent films are built around this use of the camera. Winner of numerous awards, including an RTS in 2004 and in 2007, he has made over twenty two films for all the major UK broadcasters and is drawn to observational real life dramas where deep ethical and moral dilemmas abound. His latest film is a BBC2 Storyville shot inside the KGB hospital in Kiev, and features an original soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.