Movie Monday: The Good Doctor

Starring: Orlando Bloom, Michael Peña, Riley Keough

Synopsis: Dr. Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) is a young doctor, who desperately seeks the respect and admiration that he wrongly assumed came with the job. When Diane Nixon (Riley Keough) comes into his care whilst suffering a kidney infection, he is given a boost in self-esteem as well as an escape from his lonely home life. The film follows his attempts to keep her close to him against better judgement.

Released in 2012, this film has massively mixed reviews, and seems to bear some resemblance to Marmite – either you love it or you hate it. Dr Blake’s actions throughout the film are immoral and dangerous and it is almost certain that he’s not completely sane, but viewers can still sympathise with him. We all get lonely, some more than others, and there’s nothing wrong with trying to keep someone you care about close to you. It’s practically human nature. The Good Doctor makes you question yourself – “how far am I willing to go to make my own selfish desires become a reality?”. The role is leaps and bounds away from Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, the franchises for which Bloom is most famous, but it’s really refreshing to see him pull off a completely different character. The Good Doctor is low budget and never really received a lot of publicity, but despite its lack of circulation it’s one of those films you should watch even if you end up hating it, just because it makes you think about yourself and the sort of person you are.

Watch If You Liked: any other film with Orlando Bloom and films that make you think: The Road, American Psycho etc.

Rating: 7/10 – it’s not exactly a ‘blockbuster’ but if you’re into self-discovery then it’s a good one to watch.

Words by Ruth Grove