THE COUNTRY DOCTOR

Dr. Jean-Pierre Werner has spent his life taking care of the citizens in a rural area in France. Constantly going above and beyond, he often travels far distances to make house calls. He dabbles in every area of medicine, from pediatrics and physical therapy all the way to psychiatry. He knows every patient by name. His expert care-taking skills don’t apply to his own health, though. When Jean-Pierre learns he is sick, he ignores orders to take time off. His own doctor worries Jean-Pierre’s obsessive work routine will weaken him, so he sends Natalie, a younger city doctor, to assist Jean-Pierre. Extremely set in his ways, Jean-Pierre is reluctant to accept her help. At first, he’s pretty rough on Natalie, constantly correcting her, rejecting any of her ideas. As time passes, he realizes she’s perfect for the job; she applies the same level of empathy and compassion that he’s demonstrated for so long. But Jean-Pierre still hasn’t told Natalie and his patients the truth about his illness. THE COUNTRY DOCTOR is a gentle and beautiful film about life and the difficulty of letting go. (In French with subtitles) —E.F.