Concussion
2015 · Directed by Peter Landesman
Original language: English
- drama
The story
A dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.
What it’s like
Cool, clinical light dominates Concussion: fluorescent hospital corridors, pale autopsy rooms, and the bruised blue dusk over Pittsburgh's rivers and steel-grey bridges, with the Steelers' stadium glowing in the distance like a stage set for a larger lie. Landesman shoots in measured, mostly conventional coverage, with steady medium shots in offices and kitchens and a few tight, uneasy closeups during tense conversations, while the football scenes are gritty and hard-edged, full of thudding impacts and sweat-slick helmets. The score is restrained orchestral strings and low piano that swell at moments of moral pressure and otherwise recede into the room tone of waiting rooms and cramped apartments. Its vibe is earnest, sober and quietly indignant, a steady-burning unease rather than a thriller's jolts. The pace is deliberate, with long stretches of investigation and paperwork broken by courtroom and boardroom confrontations, and its central arc follows a patient, principled outsider slowly building a case against a powerful institution. Violence is limited to football collisions and a few brief, realistic medical images of brain tissue; there is no gore, and the menace is institutional, so it suits viewers who want a grounded, issue-driven drama about integrity, for a weekend evening or a thoughtful night in.
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