By Ian Lockwood
Arts Editor
“Extremis” is a thought provoking documentary that captivates by following true stories of intensive care patients facing their last days of life, leaving the genre of hospital shows with a refreshing addition.
“Extremis” is a Netflix original short documentary that follows Dr. Jessica Zitter in Oakland, California as she leads the Intensive Care Unit team helping patients who have fatal conditions and their families with conditions and fatal decisions.
The documentary was directed, produced, and shot by award winning director Dan Krauss. The short documentary was the recipient of the “Best Documentary Short” award at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
Link: Check out the trailer of new short doc, “Extremis”.
The short differenates itself by showing both points of view of the families and doctors. Whether it be a slow quiet moment in the ER or a discussion between the doctors and a family, intimate cinematography renders a strong connection with each family, making the show more satisfying to watch.
Differentiating itself from other medicial drams such as House and Greys Anatomy, “Extremis” it has the ability to include real life scenarios. These scenes are awe-inspiring due to the unimagianble descisons that happen for each patient. The addition of these scenes forms a relationship between the documentary and viewer, and making the viewer feel the intense emotions of the patients.
Although being compelling topic, the documentary is depressing and hard to watch at times due to the struggles that many of the families face. Overcoming this and being able to watch can be difficult but for some viewers, but can also an added benefit for the authenticity of the documentary.
Link: “Extremis” is available for streaming on Netflix.
A captivating short documentary, “Extremis” keeps the viewer engaged by including astounding cinematography, unimaginable real life scenarios, but can be hard to watch due to the depressing nature of the strory.
“Extremis” premiered on September 14 and is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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