By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Penny Lane
Year: 2023
Running time: 105
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14797706/reference/
Tom M. says: “Had a great time at CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN. Penny Lane is such a trip and the kidney donation narrative had a personal tie for me.”
Diane says: “Documentary director Penny Lane (LISTENING TO KENNY G, HAIL SATAN) turns the camera on herself as she prepares to donate a kidney to an unknown recipient. She wants to track what this means for her, to know if she is a good person. Can she accept the epithet of “Good Samaritan?” (Unfortunately her education about that Bible story misses an important aspect.) Lane, who is a winsome subject but portrays herself as friendless and depressive, opens with a monologue five days before her surgery: “I worry that I’m making a big mistake.” Along with her journey of a few years, this is an interesting, if slight, study of altruism. Interview subjects include a bioethicist, a neuroscientist, and a transplant surgeon. Archival footage of the history of altruistic donors could have been reduced and does not have the impact of the interviews. Fun fact: the amygdala of altruistic people is (are) larger than average. The soundtrack includes some pleasant compositions by theremin master Carolyn Eyck. 3 cats.
“(Seen via DOC NYC.)”