Under Pressure

Andrucha Waddington's 2016 Brazilian film covers a single day in an emergency hospital. Three people wounded in a shootout in the favela next door arrive at the same time: a drug dealer, a military police officer and a child from a wealthy family. All three need surgery. The film's question is not medical but moral: when resources are short, who is prioritised and who makes that decision. The surgeon Evandro and his team work under both medical and political pressure, with the hospital administration, the press and the police all intervening at once. Julio Andrade's performance is at the centre. The narrative runs close to real time and the camera is mostly handheld. The film later became a long-running television series under the same name. Who it's for: those who like hospital drama and narratives built on the health system in Brazil. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with surgery and injury on screen; the film shows both in detail.