Medical films and TV shows are a widely popular both in France and the United States.

Hollywood had some major medical hits backs in the 90’s such as Patch Adams and Awakenings, but in recent years in the US the medical genre has been more TV-based.

After the success of Grey’s Anatomy in 2005, there has been a wave of medical TV dramas such as The Good Doctor, The Resident, and New Amsterdam.

However, in France, the medical genre is still alive in film. In the past five years, France has had the success of films such as Hippocrate and Médecin de Campagne, and now 2019 has brought L’Ordre des Médecins.

L’Ordre des Médecins is a unique film about the struggle of a man dealing with his mother’s cancer diagnosis from the perspective of both son and doctor.

The best medical films come from those who are knowledgeable on the subject, with Hippocrate,  Médecin de Campagne, and Première Année’s director Thomas Lilti being a doctor himself while L’Ordre des Médecins’ director David Roux, whose own mother was diagnosed with cancer, comes from a family of doctors.

Roux spent time shadowing his brother, a respiratory specialist, in a hospital to observe his work, since the film is largely based on his experiences, and would not have been made without his permission.

He blends these personal experiences with fiction to create an emotional and intimate story that goes beyond the intensity and action of a typical medical drama.

He changes the image of a cold hospital into a place of warmth and personal thought through his focus on family relationships rather than the constant center of attention on medical life that is seen in Lilti’s films.

Roux wrote the film in a writing workshop at film school, and eventually realised, with the help of his peers, that he needed to add more personal insight to a story so directly related to his own life. 

Don't miss this film being screened on Saturday March 23rd at 7 pm at Club de l'Étoile with English subtitles by Lost in Frenchlation followed by a Q&A with the director:

https://www.facebook.com/events/564600904055130/