‘The God Committee,’ directed by Austin Stark, is a medical drama thriller that plays with morality as well as mortality.
But, in the end, the story relies on the severely broken character of human society to make its case.
When a patient’s imminent death opens doors for three others, the doctors on the titular committee are given the opportunity to play God and decide the patients’ fates.
Dr. Boxer is a key figure in the decision, and his start-up is already researching cross-species transplants six years later.
But, as the past collides with the present, Dr. Boxer finds himself at a fork in the road. In the drama, Kelsey Grammer and Julia Stiles play pivotal parts.
The cautionary tale has an allegory, and the story conceals a terrible dread. However, you might be wondering if the story is based on reality. In that case, let’s look at it more.
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Is There a True Story Behind ‘The God Committee’?
‘The God Committee,’ on the other hand, is NOT based on a genuine story. The film also makes no claim to being based on reality.
The fictional plot is given a realistic makeover by the black-and-white images at the beginning and end, which appear to record the evolution of medical research.
Austin Stark wrote the screenplay for the film, which is based on Mark St. Germain’s 2006 play of the same name.
However, the film’s presentation of the source material, along with the director’s excellent insight into hospital operations, makes it believable.
The film has a significant yet simple topic hidden behind its complex plot. The plot revolves around a pure and uncorrupted heart whose location is determined by the doctors who get to play gods. Transplants are never easy, as the film depicts.
In order to receive a transplant in real life, you must meet a number of requirements. Family, social support, financial situation, drug use, and age are all factors.
Even then, there’s a chance your body will reject the organ. As a result, while global inequity and discrimination rage alongside waves of repopulation in developing countries, obtaining an organ becomes increasingly difficult.
At this point, the film sounds like a rallying cry for action.
While Dr. Boxer’s 2014 decision haunts him, his start-up X Origin focuses on xenotransplantation.
The word refers to the transfer of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another. It is also known as cross-species transplantation.
In 1905, slices of a rabbit kidney were transplanted into a boy with a chronic renal disease in the first known effort at xenotransplantation.
Pigs, lambs, and primates were used in the following experiments. Dr. Joseph Murray performed the first successful kidney transplant on identical twins Ronald and Richard Herrick on December 23, 1954.
Scientists began researching animal-to-human transplants after being confronted with an ethical dilemma regarding organ donation.
The scientists were, however, anticipating some hiccups. The fundamental problem was that the human body was more likely to reject rather than accept the animal organ.
Stephanie Fae Beauclair, also known as “Baby Fae,” made headlines in 1984 as the first newborn to undergo a xenotransplantation treatment.
A blood-type mismatch caused her death at 21 days. However, the tragedy brought attention to the critical shortage of newborn organs around the world.
Doctors eventually succeeded in transferring a genetically engineered kidney from a pig to a person in 2021, after a century of trial and error.
While the plot is fictional, it is based on a true innovation that has the potential to save millions of lives in the real world.
