American Doctor Review: If you thought documentaries were all calm narration and polite interviews, Poh Si Teng’s ‘American Doctor’ is here to blow that illusion apart. From the first frame, you are thrown into Gaza’s war-torn streets, where bombs fall, hospitals crumble, and ordinary civilians, mostly women and children, become unintended targets of political warfare.
The film follows three American doctors, Dr Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from California; Dr Mark Perlmutter, an orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina; and Dr Thaer Ahmad, an emergency physician from Chicago with Palestinian roots. They volunteer to treat patients amidst the chaos.
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And trust me, this is not your average “war documentary”. There’s no gentle soft-focus imagery or blurred gore. Teng’s camera shows everything raw, unfiltered, unflinching. By the end, you feel every thud, every cry, every life lost in a hospital that was supposed to be a sanctuary.
The human story behind the headlines
At its heart, ‘American Doctor’ is not a political screed. It’s a story of human decency, of doctors who risk their own lives to save strangers. But make no mistake, the politics are impossible to ignore. As the camera follows these physicians, you see not just the physical wounds of war but the moral injury inflicted on everyone caught in its crossfire.
Perlmutter, with his sharp Southern candor, openly condemns Israel’s military actions and Netanyahu’s far-right government. Sidhwa, the Zoroastrian-American surgeon, quietly carries a burden of loneliness and survivor’s guilt. And Ahmad’s struggle is deeply personal. He is born in Chicago to Palestinian parents. And here, he faces bureaucratic hurdles and repeated refusals to enter Gaza, desperate to help the people of his heritage.
Yet all three share one thing in common. They have a commitment to healing in the most horrifying circumstances imaginable. Watching them work, it’s impossible not to feel their grief for the civilians they try to save.
Of and off Gaza
The film’s most harrowing moments are the hospital bombings. Teng spares nothing. And, we see the first blast hit Nasser Hospital, then the second strike moments later, injuring healthcare workers who had rushed in to help the wounded.
These sequences are gut-wrenching, but they’re also crucial. As Dr. Perlmutter says in the film: “You’re not dignifying them unless you let their memory, their bodies, tell the story of this trauma… You have the responsibility, as I do, to tell the truth.”
This is journalism as advocacy. This a call for the world to see what’s really happening beyond soundbites and political spin.
Three doctors, three stories
Perlmutter has seen other war zones, but nothing shook him like Gaza. The endless casualties, the bombed-out hospitals, the helplessness; it left him distant from his partner back home. In Gaza, he’s a force of nature, smuggling antibiotics past security, rushing into disaster zones, and forging bonds with Palestinian colleagues. His anger at the Israeli regime is blunt, often peppered with colorful expletives that feel more human than political.
Yet beneath that fire is a deep moral urgency. He doesn’t just treat wounds. He bears witness, using his voice to confront what he sees as systemic injustice.
Sidhwa brings a quieter, more introspective energy. Having worked with Perlmutter before, he shares the same commitment to Gaza but carries a heavier personal burden. The film shows moments of vulnerability. Dating feels impossible. Normal life seems distant. The trauma of what he witnesses shadows every decision. For him, volunteering is both calling and weight. This perhaps is a paradox of purpose and pain.
Yet Sidhwa’s eloquence and calm resolve shine through. He repeatedly questions targeting of hospitals and challenges viewers to confront the uncomfortable reality of money, politics, indifference all contribute to civilian suffering.
Ahmad’s story is the most intimate. Though born in Chicago, his Palestinian heritage ties him to the land, to the people, and to the urgent need for care. The documentary follows his frustrating struggle to reach Gaza, blocked repeatedly by Israeli authorities.
At home, he’s a dedicated father and husband, but his heart is with the patients he cannot yet touch. His perseverance and determination are heartbreaking and inspiring.
Smuggling supplies and braving bombs
One of the film’s eye-opening threads is the practical reality of humanitarian work in Gaza. The doctors must smuggle antibiotics and surgical supplies through checkpoints and face constant threat of denial or detention.
Hospitals are hit repeatedly. Healthcare workers (over 1,700 since October 2023) have been killed. Souble-tap attack on Nasser Hospital is emblematic of this brutal reality.
Every operation, every patient treated, is defiance of the system that seeks to restrict aid. Teng’s camera doesn’t flinch at the gore, blood or tears.
Political subtext that can’t be ignored
‘American Doctor’ is primarily a humanitarian story. Its political undertones are undeniable. The actions of Israel’s army, support of the US government, global indifference to civilian suffering all come under scrutiny. Sidhwa, Perlmutter, Ahmad provide first-hand accounts of destruction of lives shattered by military aggression.
Sidhwa’s words at Sundance are particularly striking. “Americans deserve the opportunity to know what their money is being used for… Just to decide. ‘Do you really want this being done?’ I’m pretty sure the answer is ‘no’.”
The film doesn’t preach. It shows. And by doing so, it invites viewers to make moral and political judgments for themselves.
The emotional toll
One of the documentary’s most haunting elements is its depiction of the doctors’ emotional journeys. War is brutal, but the aftermath lingers. Perlmutter returns home struggling to reconnect with loved ones. Sidhwa faces isolation and loneliness. Ahmad deals with frustration and heartbreak at obstacles.
This isn’t just footage of medical procedures. It’s a window into trauma and personal cost of empathy in a world gone mad. Humanitarian work is never easy. And those who do it carry invisible scars alongside visible ones they treat.
Poh Si Teng’s direction is masterful in balancing realism with narrative clarity. The unblurred raw footage ensures audience experiences chaos as it happens. There’s just unvarnished truth of modern war and people who risk everything to alleviate its suffering. By comparing some scenes to dystopian fiction, this film shows disturbing truth.
Watching ‘American Doctor’ can be an emotional journey. It’s heartbreaking… often hard to watch. But it is an essential viewing. Teng’s documentary does what few films dare. It refuses to soften reality, yet never loses sight of humanity.
In a world increasingly numb to human suffering where we are watching the genocide televised, ‘American Doctor’ surely is a clarion call to see, to care, and to act.
The documentary premiered at Sundance 2026.