The English Surgeon

UK, 2007, 93’

I am operating on people’s thoughts and feelings…and if something goes wrong I can destroy that person’s character… forever, says Henry Marsh, London brain surgeon and trailblazer. For more than 15 years he has been heading to Kyiv in his free time to perform pro bono operations, encountering new challenges in doctor-patient relations. The patients see him as the great saviour from the West, and his Ukrainian colleague, Igor Kurilets, sees him as a guru and a benefactor. Despite the fact that the available medical equipment is old and the local support staff is not always on top of the game, Henry cannot end his mission. The prominent doctor still embodies simplicity and compassion, riding an old pushbike to work, gratified each time he saves a life.

Soundtrack by cult musicians Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The English Surgeon has won over both audiences and critics. Thanks to the film, some Americans have turned to volunteering. H. Marsh has set up a charitable fund for the building of a new hospital in Ukraine.

Film’s trailer at: http://www.theenglishsurgeon.com/?view=trailer

Directed by Geoffrey Smith

Produced by Roco Films