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The Tribeca docu-short film, Doc Albany, follows Dr. Sheena Favors and Dr. Jim Hotz, who both work in Albany, Georgia, which is classified as a Medical Desert, regions of the country that do not have adequate medical access. Both Favors and Hotz participated in the National Health Service Corps. In this program, the federal government covers student loans for doctors following a period of mandatory service in a medical desert as part of the Corps.
Ben Proudfoot directs Doc Albany and produces the short alongside Rachel Greenwald. Brandon Somerhalder serves as the cinematographer, with the film’s score done by Garth Neustadter.
Shining Subjects
Doc Albany is largely successful thanks to the delightful personalities chosen as its subjects, Dr. Sheena Favors and Dr. Jim Hotz. Dr. Favors is a recent member of the Corps, and the film documents some of her reasons for joining and why she ultimately decides to stay with the program after her period of mandatory service. She is bright, energetic, insightful, and just very engaging to watch in both her interview footage and the footage of her doing her job. The film smartly chooses to follow her for the majority of the runtime.
On the other hand, when the short is not focused on Dr. Favors, it follows Dr. Jim Hotz, who is similarly very engaging and knowledgeable. Dr. Hotz is a long-time member of the corps and was part of its founding back in the 1970s. Hotz can succinctly provide a lot of historical context for the program in a meaningful manner. Because of his love and dedication to the program, the audience can quickly get on board with the program’s validity and become emotionally invested themselves. Hotz is also the inspiration for the ’80s film Doc Hollywood, hence the title of the documentary.
Both Dr. Hotz and Dr. Favors provide insights into the Corps. Their personal journeys are quite compelling as well. The documentary can blend both of these aspects together to create a multifaceted and engaging film in a brief twenty minutes.
Lack of Other Perspectives
However, Doc Albany lacks other perspectives to make it a holistic view of the Corps. Neither Dr. Favors nor Dr. Hotz speaks to issues that face the Corps or issues that they have encountered while working within it. Yes, they do speak to the difficulty of being a medical professional, yet none that specifically arise because of this program. Perhaps there aren’t any, but the film never even hints at it.
Additionally, the Tribeca film lacks the patients’ perspectives of how the Corps has impacted their lives. This feels like a vital perspective to offer when discussing medical-related information. This keeps the documentary feeling a little one-sided in a way that isn’t compromising but does feel purposeful. The patients don’t need to be the focus of the film, however, hearing very little from them is odd.
The Verdict on Ben Proudfoot’s Tribeca Docu-Short Film, Doc Albany
Doc Albany successfully demonstrates the importance of the National Health Service Corps by showcasing its direct impact on people’s lives. Despite its short runtime, it effectively communicates the history of the program and its two subjects. However, it fails to provide much insight into any potential problems facing the program and can feel more like a puff piece. Whilst it does give insight from the doctors’ perspectives, it would also be nice to hear more directly from some patients about the system.
Score: 3/5
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
