A Lone Scalpel
Japanese Film Festival, Sydney screening.
The Festival is currently in Melbourne until Thursday the 7th of December. There are also a couple of films screening in Hobart the following week. Check here for the schedule.
I saw A Lone Scalpel while it was in Sydney about a week ago and I quite enjoyed it. Set in a small town hospital and told in flashbacks through the diary entries of a nurse, the complication arises due to medical practice laws on organ transplants. The story is told very well. This is definitely the strongest feature of the movie for me. Following the journey of the characters is easy and occurs very naturally.
The characters are very standard. There’s the main character - the nurse; the hero that (very loosely speaking) changes everything; the clown that makes you laugh - the mayor; and of course, the villain that you want to punch in the face. One annoying thing about the movie is how unconditionally benevolent and altruistic the hero is. Difficult decisions are resolved without the slightest hesitation. Really, you’re not even gonna think about it?!
One scene that stuck with me involved a piece of floral printed clothing. I don’t know if it was intentionally humorous (or symbolic?) but my friend and I could not stop laughing.
Overall, a decent film with a good story that is sometimes sad, but very sweet. 3 out of 5.
