Making Rounds, directed by Muffie Meyer, follows cardiologist Dr. Valentin Fuster and Dr. Herschel Sklaroff, physician-in-chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York as they make their rounds. They each stress the importance of communication between doctor and patient. A doctor can learn a lot from a patient simply by examining his/her hands. Of course, asking questions is also crucial, but, surprisingly, that doesn't happen often enough and can lead to misdiagnosis. Too much time and money is wasted on unnecessary tests when healthy doctor-patient communication can lead to accurate diagnosis more efficiently. Meyer uses a rather observational approach to the doc by showing how the doctors interact with different patients throughout their rounds. He forgoes including background info on the doctors and patients thereby keeping the doc lean and unpadded. However, it does get a bit repetitive and overstays its welcome at a running time of 1 hour and 28 minutes. Medical students would benefit from Making Rounds the most, so it would best serve as essential viewing for all aspiring medical doctors. First Run Features opens it at Cinema Village.

---

Flowers
Directed by Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga