Let it be said that nothing beats the atmosphere of a good medical drama. Ask the creative team behind “ER,” “Chicago Med,” or more recent streaming efforts such as “The Good Nurse“; any project able to successfully capture the tension, stakes, and life on-the-edge thrill of wrenching someone from the precipice of death or simply helping the terminally ill cope with their imminent last days deserves more than a passing glimpse. Films set within this rather specific environment tend to materialize from time to time, whether regulated to the doldrums of a Lifetime network presentation, streamer, or limited theatrical release; it’s the latter that finds “A Mistake,” a story with all the feel of true events adapted for the screen, led by a committed Elizabeth Banks amongst a cast able to nearly rise to her level.
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In reality, the film finds itself adapted from a 2019 novel by Carl Shuker, one that sees the resulting 101 minutes oozing an oppressively dreary tone befitting its dour subject matter. Banks portrays Beth Taylor, a highly accomplished surgeon and mentor to student doctor Richard (Richard Crouchley), as the film begins in the minutes preceding what should be a routine invasive procedure on sepsis-stricken Lisa (Acacia O’Connor). However, a severe error for which Richard is responsible prompts Taylor into action in an effort to save Lisa; though weakened by the event, Lisa emerges in ICU, facing recovery, and Richard is charged with delivering the good news to Lisa’s relieved parents. Unfortunately, any relief lasts mere hours, as the following morning sees Taylor experiencing the shock of Lisa’s unexpected passing overnight, something that leaves a similar impression on Richard and thrusting both hospital administration and Lisa’s parents into action as blame is put into question.
A simultaneous plotline revolves around a data study focused on the countless numbers of patients lost without any regard to the fine details of a person’s medical history or the doctors at the helm; it’s this that figures heavily into Taylor’s plight, as media coverage begins to target her as the guilty party with an upset Richard attempting to cope with what he believes to solely be his fault. Add in a “C” plot regarding a friend’s dog abruptly placed in Taylor’s care, and it’s easy to see this as a film without a clear path to the finish, yet all roads somehow manage to merge successfully, even if it’s a journey fraught with more than its share of bumps.
Following the anxiety of the film’s opening, a series of scenes ranging from in-office quarrel to the unraveling of Taylor’s personal life encompass the bulk of “A Mistake,” with a generous amount of mustache-twirling emanating from Simon McBurney as Andrew, Taylor’s superior who prefers disregarding what actually happened in favor of a cover story and suppression of Taylor’s wish that any data harvested in the practice of medicine accept all that encapsulates every aspect of a procedure. A romantic relationship between Taylor and nurse Robin (Mickey Sumner) receives a scene or three of attention, but over the span of approximately five minutes during the transition between the second and third acts, Banks elevates her performance to near-excellence, as two traumatic events kick off a display of emotion as palpable as they are unexpected.
Even Taylor’s interactions with a leading data expert (Niwa Whatuira) shine as two of the film’s more poignant moments, with Taylor questioning the need for such data-driven methodologies in one and a one-on-one sit down in the other; to hear Whatuira utter his own showstopping phrase regarding if the best we can do is what’s best for the patients can’t help but recall Jeff Goldblum‘s oft-quoted line regarding whether we could and whether we should. When it comes down to the Hippocratic oath, should the way patients are treated be left up to, as Taylor herself publicly declares before the film’s conclusion, administrators and doctors-turned-bureaucrats?
Director/writer Christine Jeffs never allows “A Mistake” to rise above its intimate, low-level ecosystem, with its Australian setting rarely mentioned and Banks’ own adopted accent quickly blending in with the cast as if this were indeed her native country. There’s no denying the bleak tone, one that lasts until the moment credits roll, and it is indeed difficult to imagine repeated viewings. That said, as a showcase for the talent that is Elizabeth Banks, in addition to its existence as a thought-provoking exploration of the field of medicine and the human side of patient care, it’s an undeniable victory. [B+]
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