The title of this film struck me as a rehash of the dreaded, and much hyped, “Death Panels” during the early days of the ACA debates. But the trailer got my attention with a glimpse into xenotransplantation research, which rings familiar with current events and the recent pig to human heart transplant in the news.
I’ve spent my fair share of hours in conference rooms, staying awake while colleagues are jockeying for influence or selling their wares. The idea of a group of people politicking over who is next for a heart transplant sounds dreadful. It sounds just about as dreadful as a Death Panel.
This movie is set during two points in time. First, there is the setting of a particularly contentious decision between three patients in desperate need of a heart transplant and a single heart to offer. Second, there is the setting seven years later, where Dr. Boxer is racing the clock to make the “God Committee” obsolete by developing a viable means of transplanting organs from pigs into humans.
This is a story about walking the tightrope and balancing the dilemma of a greater good that comes for the price of compromised ethics.
This movie is sad, thought provoking, and really well produced.
Totally recommended.