Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders at Regal Green Hills and Opry Mills
M*A*S*H Without the Sugar Coating
by Jack Silverman
A dose of harsh reality amid the onslaught of sappy Christmas films, this documentary follows the experiences of four volunteer doctors from the humanitarian aid group Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) as they struggle to provide much-needed medical attention and save lives amid the challenging and often horrific surroundings of war-torn Liberia and Congo. One look at the trailer (see livinginemergency.com) and it's obvious this is no saccharine doc about people helping people—instead, it's an unflinching look at four doctors who, in the words of the press release, “are forced to confront the limits of their idealism in the face of overwhelming medical needs.” Of particular interest, one of those four doctors is Thomas Krueger, who closed his 20-year practice in Springfield, Tenn., to spend two years among the organization's surgical pool in Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan (Darfur) and Sri Lanka. This event features a screening of the film followed by a town hall discussion hosted by Elizabeth Vargas, broadcast live in HD from New York University to 444 theaters in 46 states. Krueger, who has recently opened a surgical practice affiliated with Southern Hills Medical Center, will participate. While this may not be the ultimate feel-good holiday film, it will certainly make you feel grateful for what you have—and isn't that really what the season is all about?
Mon., Dec. 14, 6:30 p.m., 2009
Mon., Dec. 14, 6:30 p.m., 2009
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