Gifted Hands was a made for television movie that aired in 2009. For years, I’ve heard about it and how good it was, but last night was the first time we actually took the time to watch it. I hate that we waited so long. It’s an amazing movie.
First, I’d like to talk about the movie itself. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmys and a long list of awards. It won two Movieguide, three Image, and one NAMIC Vision award. In my opinion, it should have won more. I was immediately drawn into the movie by.the beautiful juxtopositioning of classical music and surgery footage. From beginning to end, every shot is beautiful and the editing together is a work of art. The writing, the acting, the music, everything is top notch. I would have never dreamed it possible to take a story about a brain surgeon and make it a cinematic work of art, and yet, that is exactly what director Thomas Carter did.
Second, while the movie stands alone as a great story well told, we can’t ignore the fact that the subject of the movie is now a Presidential candidate. For that reason, anyone who is trying to make a decision between candidates should watch Gifted Hands to get a better appreciation of who Ben Carson is and what he’s already accomplished. I had no idea that he grew up poor, raised by a single mom who couldn’t read but who was determined that her boys would make something of themselves. I was inspired by her commitment to push them to excel despite the many obstacles in their way. I love that learning didn’t come naturally for Ben, but that he just worked all the harder because of it. I love the fact that he was willing to take a risk and perform a dangerous surgery when he was just an intern because there was no one else to do it. Most of all, i love that he prayed with each of his patients and looked to God for help rather than seeing himself as God.
Gentle Hands is available on instant Netflix and on dvd in Christian bookstores.