Patrick Reed's documentary carries the weighty subtitle “Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma,” and indeed it often appears as if the weight of the world has been placed on the non-Atlas-like shoulders of the former president of Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). Triage follows Orbinski on a trip to Africa to revisit battle sites in Rwanda, Somalia, and Congo where his organization attempted to help those caught in the crossfire of civil war. Nobel Peace prize winner Orbinski is not a one-dimensional saint, but rather a pragmatic yet conflicted physician facing uncontrollable situations that are often beyond comprehension. Along the way, Triage raises raw questions about the challenges of bringing humanitarianism into environments where internecine bloodshed takes precedent over basic human dignity (a particularly acute problem in post-genocide Rwanda, where the savagery of the previous decade's civil war continues to haunt a country barely at peace with itself). Orbinski is a compelling and articulate subject, and filmmaker Reed does a masterful job of presenting the complex story of his efforts to bring comfort and medical support to literal hells on Earth. DVD extras include deleted scenes, a photo gallery, and a filmmaker bio. A powerful and troubling film, Triage is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Triage
(2007) 88 min. DVD: $26.95. Docurama (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 1-4229-2515-3. Volume 24, Issue 3
Triage
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