The God Committee
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The God Committee
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The God Committee is a contemplative drama, adapted from a play by Mark St. Germain, that explores medical ethics in an extraordinary situation. Despite the title and a character who is a priest, it's not a faith-based film. On the contrary, it looks at the mashup of science, facts, and personal factors that doctors may face while making life-or-death decisions for others. Characters aren't typical Hollywood portrayals and aren't portrayed as "good" or "bad"; rather, they can be seen as offering deep reflections on the complexities of humanity. They demonstrate communication and integrity but also have flaws. A woman recalls an incident of harsh domestic violence, and there's a fatal accident and grahpic scenes of the organ-transplant process, with bodies on operating tables and bloody, throbbing, realistic organs being pulled out of open body cavities, including animals. Strong language throughout includes "f--k" and "s--t," a couple is shown in bed together, and there's smoking, drinking, and prescription drug use.
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What's the Story?
In THE GOD COMMITTEE, a team of medical professionals convenes to decide the fate of a heart that has suddenly and unexpectedly become available for transplantation in their hospital. With three viable candidates to receive the organ, the group has one hour to choose who will get it -- while checking their own beliefs, biases, and ambition.
Is It Any Good?
Austin Stark's cerebral medical film highlights how many shades of grey exist in between right and wrong and good and bad. Life-saving doctors are often in a position to "play God," but never more than in this film, which centers on the difficult decisions made by organ-transplant committees. Some viewers may be surprised to learn that a panel of medical professionals determines which patients are worthy of receiving life-saving organs and that factors like substance use and having a family support system in place impact their decisions. While the scenario in the movie is an extraordinary situation, it's not out of the realm of possibility. The fact that filmmakers solicited contributions from a team of real-life medical experts who do organ-transplant work is felt in crafting an honest portrayal of a fictional situation.
That said, for a film about heart, there's not a lot of it here. This drama is as cold as an emergency room gurney. We're only given one character to care about, Dr. Jordan Taylor (Julia Stiles), who delivers lukewarmth compared to the worn-down pragmatist committee head (Janeane Garofalo) and her cranky but brilliant senior colleague (Kelsey Grammer). In this world, even compassion is built on facts. Ultimately The God Committee is all about the brain, posing a question that may activate viewers' own thoughts: Who should hold the authority to decide whose lives are more valuable than others? And, more importantly, are you living a life worth saving?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether it's ever justifiable to sacrifice one life to save many. What other ethical dilemmas might a doctor face?
Several doctors who work in the organ-transplantation community served as medical consultants on The God Committee to ensure accurate depictions. How does that impact your experience as a viewer?
How does the team demonstrate communication and integrity? Are there any characters you believe showed a lack of integrity -- or do you think they believe they were doing the right thing? Why are these important character strengths?
A supporting character is a priest who delivers a sermon; would you consider this a faith-based film? Why, or why not?
While this film depicts a fictional (and extraordinary) case of organ transplantation, how does it relate to decisions that had to be made during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 2, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: July 2, 2021
- Cast: Kelsey Grammer, Julia Stiles, Janeane Garofalo
- Director: Austin Stark
- Studio: Vertical Entertainment
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: STEM
- Character Strengths: Communication, Integrity
- Run time: 98 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 14, 2022
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