Surgeon from Acclaimed Documentary Killed in Gaza

And more top culture stories from the week

Hello Contrarians,

I’m Meredith Blake, culture columnist.

Welcome to Issue #4 of Culture Clash, the newsletter in which I’ll keep you updated on everything happening across the cultural sphere, and share recommendations for what to read, watch, and listen to next.

Back in August, I wrote about American Doctor. This moving documentary follows physicians from the United States as they travel to Gaza and provide medical care for Palestinians at Nasser Medical Complex, one of the region's largest remaining hospitals. With few resources at their disposal, they work alongside doctors, nurses, and medics from Gaza to do what they can for their gravely wounded patients — while grappling with the ever-present threat of another Israeli missile attack.

The acclaimed film offers a rare glimpse inside one of Gaza’s besieged hospitals. It now stands as a cinematic memorial to the brave healthcare workers in Gaza: on Wednesday, an Israeli strike on Nasser killed at least six people, including Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira, a Palestinian surgeon who is featured in American Doctor. Dr. Mohammed Odainy, who also appears in the film, was critically injured in the attack.

Director Po Sih Teng and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, one of the film’s subjects, were on their way to a screening of American Doctor in New York on Thursday when they heard that Abu Shaaira had been killed.

In an interview Thursday, Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from California, remembered “Dr. Rizk” (Palestinian doctors typically go by their first names) as a sweet-natured family man and loving father who was not “your typical gruff, aggressive surgeon.”

While most surgeons are passionate about what they do, “a small subset of us are what we call ‘super enthusiastic’ about surgery,” Sidhwa explained. Abu Shaaira, fifty-two years old, was one of them.

“He really loved being in the operating room. He loved being on rounds. He loved changing dressings. As long as it was related to surgery, he loved it,” Sidhwa said. “Every time we scrubbed in together, I looked at him and thought, ‘This is the best moment of your life yet again.’”

In a moment captured in the film, Sidhwa and Abu Shaaira discuss operating on a man with severe intestinal injuries. His prognosis was grim, given the lack of resources at the hospital. But Abu Shaaira insisted they try to save him anyway. (The patient ultimately died.) “That was his attitude: ‘We’re gonna try whatever we can do,’” Sidhwa said. “Surgeons have a saying. ‘We control the process; God controls the outcome.’ And Dr. Rizk very much felt that way.”

Capturing these professionals doing their best under dire conditions was “the reason we wanted to make American Doctor,” said Teng, who tried to document as many of the Palestinian healthcare workers as she could. “We didn’t know if they were going to survive this.”

Dr. Rizk Abu Shaaira (far right) in American Doctor

Teng wanted the film to be a record of their work. “I’m glad we have Dr. Rizk at his prime, doing what he loved,” she said. “We want him to be remembered this way.”

As of Friday, Dr. Odainy is “hurt badly enough that we need to be worried about him,” Sidhwa said.

Nasser, the largest functioning hospital in southern Gaza, serves roughly one million people. It has been the target of numerous strikes since the war began in 2023, including one last summer that killed at least 20 people.

“This hospital has been through more than most, even in Gaza,” explained Sidhwa, who has traveled to the Palestinian territories multiple times and published an investigation about violence against children in Gaza for the New York Times.

Nasser was badly damaged in Wednesday’s attack, which was reportedly carried out with two American-manufactured aerial bombs. The hospital’s surgical department was knocked out of service, according to Reuters. Videos posted online show extensive destruction inside the building.

“It’s completely insane to use weapons like this against a hospital,” Sidhwa said.

Hospitals are supposed to be protected under international humanitarian law. The Israeli military claimed it was targeting a Hamas commander hiding inside the complex. What’s clear is that the facility won’t be used for its intended purpose anytime soon.

“The state of the hospital is a disaster,” Sidhwa said. “Leaving aside that they killed a senior surgeon with 20 years of experience, this is going to have a devastating impact on an already devastated healthcare system.”

American Doctor is playing in select theaters and is also available for digital rental.

Elsewhere from The Contrarian:

• On Monday, English comedian and RFK Jr. ally Russell Brand was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison on charges of rape and sexual assault. Here’s a look at Brand’s cynical political conversion and the MAGA personalities standing by him.

• The latest season of Netflix’s enduringly popular reality series Love Is Blind, set in Boston, put a spotlight on highly problematic men and the women who love them.

• Democrats like Scott Colom and Abdul El-Sayed fared well in the midterms because they spoke directly to voters’ concerns about the cost of living — and also because they weren’t afraid to crack some jokes on the campaign trail.

• An interview with Will Kaufman, the author of a new book about the history of American protest music — which he prefers to call “struggle songs.”

• Enjoy our playlist, curated to help you celebrate the Blue Tsunami.

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  What to Watch in the Week Ahead

  

  Anna Lambe as Siaja North of North. (Credit: Jasper Savage/Netflix)

  North of North

  In this charming comedy — one of Canada’s many great cultural exports — Inuk actress Anna Lambe plays a single mom living in a remote Arctic village, trying to reinvent herself after divorce. (Season 2 now streaming on Netflix)

  Wicker

  In this whip-smart and surprisingly tender feminist fable, Olivia Colman stars as a lonely spinster who hires a local craftsman (Peter Dinklage) to weave her a husband out of wicker (Alexander Skarsgård). When he turns out to be a certified hunk who’s great in bed and knows how to fix the roof, women in the village take notice. (Now in select theaters)

  Crime and Punishment in America

  Directed by Lynn Novick and executive produced by Ken Burns, this eight-hour series spanning more than 200 years of American history explores how a country (supposedly) founded on ideals of liberty came to lead the world in incarceration. (Premieres Monday on PBS)

  Blue Lights

  I am on the record as a huge fan of this crime drama, set in Belfast, which looks at the perils of policing in a city where the sectarian divide still lingers. Season 4, which opens with a protest at a migrant center, explores tension over immigration. (Now streaming on BritBox)

  Cunk on Cinema

  The brilliant Diane Morgan reprises her role as Philomena Cunk, know-nothing TV pundit, in this mockumentary about the history of film. Brace yourself for excruciating deadpan interviews with the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Bay. (Premieres Sunday on Netflix)

Thank you for reading, Contrarians! As always, we love learning about additional culture recommendations from the community. What’s keeping you engaged and/or distracted? I’ll be back in two weeks with the next issue of Culture Clash.

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