DVD Review: Code Black

Code Black is a documentary offering an intriguing look at emergency medicine in L.A. County Hospital, focusing on the eye-opening experiences of medical students in that environment. When the film opens, it immediately drops us into the middle of an emergency. We see an extremely crowded emergency room with multiple doctors and nurses working on a patient. It seems insane, and just as we’re thinking that, we get voice over addressing that very thought: “If you’re an outsider, this looks like total chaos. But as a doctor, I see unity in that chaos. There is a team here, in all that, coming together to save someone’s life.”

That’s Ryan McGarry speaking. He was a senior resident physician at the hospital, as well as director of this documentary. He is one of several doctors interviewed for the film, and gives us his initial impressions and reactions to the scene at L.A. County Hospital, as well as a bit of a history of the place. Interestingly, this hospital was the birthplace of emergency medicine, at least in this country. One small area of the room, labeled C Booth, is where more people have died and more people have been saved than anywhere else in the country. (A map on screen shows us it is only twenty by twenty-five feet.)

The film doesn’t shy away from showing us the doctors at work, though it also doesn’t deliberately dwell on anything graphic. As a result, we feel we get a real sense of what the staff goes through, both physically and emotionally, particularly when the footage is not accompanied by any narration. We see patients die, and the way the doctors are affected by it. And there are some personal stories from doctors who became involved in emergency medicine at this hospital, such as Jamie Feng. And director Ryan McGarry relates his personal experience as a patient with stage IV lymphoma when in college, giving the film a personal touch and perspective. The film also shows us the doctors goofing around a bit when they do finally have a break.

Because of earthquake codes, the county had to build a new county hospital, and the feel of it is quite different from the original building. Doctors talk about the differences between the old and new county hospitals, detailing the positive and negative aspects of the change. The film also goes into the current state of medicine and health care in this country.

A “Code Black” is when the number of patients seeking care exceeds the capabilities of the staff. One doctor tells us, “During Code Black we are so saturated that it feels like the place is going to blow up at the seams.” And: “It’s a little like losing before you’ve started.” But despite the title, the focus is really on the L.A. County Hospital and the emergency staff working there rather than on Code Black situations. In fact, it’s more than halfway through the film before Code Black is mentioned. This is a documentary that starts off strong, and then becomes more and more interesting as it goes on.

Special Features

The DVD includes Reconnection, a short promotional film that is part music video, part commentary on the health care system and the removal of the human element in the face of bureaucracy (and the re-introduction of it). There is also an interview with director Ryan McGarry, which begins and ends with footage from the film. Ryan talks about being a film director and doctor, and the similarities between the two professions. He also talks about filming in the hospital, getting access and so on. The DVD also includes the film’s trailer.

Code Black was directed by Ryan McGarry and was released on DVD on February 24, 2015 through Music Box Films. By the way, a pilot for a television series based on this film is being shot now, with Ryan McGarry as one of the executive producers. Marcia Gay Harden, Bonnie Somerville and Luis Guzman are among the cast.