‘American Doctor’ shows brutality of conflict in Gaza

Mark Perlmutter, an orthopedic surgeon from the United States, has worked amidst conflict in 30 nations. He was unprepared for the brutality he encountered in Gaza during Israel's retaliation for the October 2023 Hamas attack. This experience forms the basis of Poh Si Teng's documentary, "American Doctor," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will soon be shown in select US theaters.

The film focuses on the work of three American doctors from diverse backgrounds: Perlmutter, who is Jewish; Thaer Ahmad, a Muslim of Palestinian descent; and Feroze Sidhwa, whose parents are Zoroastrian. The three doctors maintain that the question isn't their knowledge of Arab-Israeli history, but rather whether they support the murder of children, torture of physicians, and bombing of hospitals.

The documentary's most distressing scenes depict a "double-tap" where missiles target first responders treating patients after bombings. Filmmaker Poh Si Teng faced challenges deciding what to show, but ultimately chose to display the truth, even if it was uncomfortable. The doctors stress that their job is to reveal the suffering of Gazans, not to justify it.

Despite resistance from media and donors, the filmmakers hope that "American Doctor" will help shift the narrative and pressure the US to reconsider its support for Israeli actions.