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Directed by: Peter Landesman
Writers: Peter Landesman, Jeanne Marie Laskas MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre: Biography, Drama 
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A coroner from Nigeria, Dr. Bennet Omalu, discovers a link between the violent hits players take in professional football and severe brain abnormalities that develop later in life. Dr. Omalu's discovery leads to a protracted battle with the NFL and those who seek to protect the powerful organization. In spite of threats to his career, his family, and even his life, Dr. Omalu is determined to expose the hard truth about the dangerous nature of the sport that Americans love.
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Strengths:
Gender Roles - Men Self-Esteem and Body Image
Concussion doesn't have a large role for women. The film features Dr. Omalu's wife, Prema, as the smart, dedicated woman who stands by him during his difficult ordeal with the NFL. She endures some of the same hardships as he does, including being following be strangers and eventually miscarrying her first child. In one scene, Prema reveals some deeper, more personal struggles that she experienced when immigrating to America, and how her spirituality helped keep her grounded. And while this beautiful moment tells us a bit more about the sort of person she is, the scene is ultimately meant to bolster Dr. Omalu's persona and sense of purpose in this life. Despite Prema's education and beliefs, she is essentially a love interest and a cheerleader for all of Dr. Omalu's accomplishments. She is every bit as bold and passionate as he is, but does little more than guide and support him as the film's true protagonist.
Concussion also features a few minor female characters - the wife and mother of two players who suffer tragically from the after-effects of a long career in professional football. While the film paints these women as thoughtful survivors, their presence is too small to make a large impact on audiences. Dr. Omalu himself, however, is a powerful deviation from the standard male hero. Not only is he a Black man, but he's also an immigrant with a strong Nigerian accent. He attends church service in his community, he's awkward and shy around women, and he displays an uncommon compassion in dealing with the cadavers that come into the morgue - whom he regards as his patients. Dr. Omalu does display some more traditional male attributes during pivotal moment in the film, such as when it comes to confronting others on the details of his work. He is confident in his conclusions and aggressive in defending them on the basis of both science and morality. At other times, however, Dr. Omalu exhibits a healthy display of fear and powerlessness that makes him overwhelmingly human. Overall, Concussion may not have much to offer in terms of fully fleshed out female characters, but Dr. Omalu definitely stretches the boundaries of what it means to be a powerful male role model. |
Room for Improvement:
Gender Roles - Women Plot Character Development Love |