Rounding, 2025.
Directed by Alex Thompson.
Starring Namir Smallwood, Sidney Flanigan, Michael Potts, Rebecca Spence, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, David Cromer, Max Lipchitz, Kelly O’Sullivan, Bradley Grant Smith, Charin Alvarez, Nadirah Bost, Edwin Lee Gibson, Tim Hopper, Kayla Raelle, Ed Kross, Meighan Gerachis, Sara Deodhar, Larry Neumann Jr., Pierce Cravens, Hanna Dworkin, and Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel.
SYNOPSIS:
A driven young medical resident transfers to a rural hospital for a fresh start. There, the demons of his past start to catch up to him when he becomes consumed by the case of a young asthma patient.
Director Alex Thompson’s Rounding often has one wondering who needs help more: is it the young adult woman Helen (Sidney Flanigan, such an extraordinary revelation in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, deserving of more roles) who keeps finding herself in the hospital with severe asthma and no permanent solution, or her newly transferred Doctor James Hayman (Namir Smallwood) who might be correct that something isn’t adding up about the situation, but also appears mentally unstable for the job, gradually going through a psychological breakdown following a traumatic experience overlooking a patient at the last hospital.
The film also begins with on-screen text about the world’s first “physician” in Ancient Greece, once seen as a descendent of a Greek God, and how those patients were sometimes treated for exorcisms (before going into the modern-day definition of rounding.) It plays into this premise that James may be going through something worse than Helen. That is proven especially true once he starts panicking and hallucinating mythological creatures while blacking out, typically during a stressful visit with a patient.
With that in mind, one might assume Rounding is attempting to be a horror film. That is half true. It works best when functioning as a psychological piece about doctors and the hardships behind their duties (such as putting on an acting performance when explaining a devastating medical diagnosis, trying to empathize and give over a piece of the self, effectively showing humanity during sensitive conversations) and their relationships to patients. Not only are the performances grounded alongside a somewhat convincing depiction of simultaneously managing several patients on light rest, but the mystery of what is going on with the previously mentioned frequently sick woman is also an intriguing mystery.
When a character suggests that what’s really happening is “something typically only seen in the movies,” the narrative starts to feel like it is actively betraying that reality. That’s without getting into the horror aspect, which increasingly becomes more prevalent, that feels hastily slapped together with no lasting imagery, creativity, or impactful substance. Then, some loaded bombshell reveals in the finale go against all reasonable logic regarding how James would successfully get this position after a transfer. It’s an unwieldy mess that’s generally only engaging when sticking to difficult conversations with hospital patients. However, even then, the overreliance on dumping medical jargon will be frustrating for some and is occasionally emotionally detaching.
It’s an unfortunate surprise, considering Alex Thompson (not co-directing this time alongside regular collaborator Kelly O’Sullivan, although she does appear in a small role) typically has no issue allowing human drama to feel real while giving it weight that doesn’t dip into mawkish territory. Here, co-writing the screenplay alongside Christopher Thompson, there isn’t so much a blending of genres but more of forcing one into a story without realizing it’s not fitting.
Rounding has sat on a shelf for so long that the far superior Ghostlight was made, chosen to play Sundance, and released before this getting a non-festival release. The reason for that is clear after watching this. It’s an uneven blur of ideas, genres, motives, and reveals that never coalesce into anything satisfyingly whole or worthwhile.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
