You
might want to take a seat for this next expert witness. Not necessary
for his court testimony itself, but for the simple initial
identification of his qualifications. Dr. Bennet Omalu’s extensive list
of credentials, degrees and fields of study run about the length of a
late-night infomercial. His astounding education and experience makes
him an unimpeachable source of reference and his insight ensures the
release of a murder suspect.
It’s all in a day’s work for
the forensic pathologist. When Omalu is not granting freedom to the
falsely accused, one can find him in a Pittsburgh morgue. Never at a
loss for customers, Omalu’s supervisor is frustrated by his unhurried,
methodical technique. To Bennet Omalu, death is not the end for the
figure on his operating table; it is just another part of their journey,
and being able to accurately report on the manner of death is Omalu’s
way of granting peace not only to the deceased, but to their loved
ones. Omalu begins his autopsies by gently caressing the head of the
departed and asks them to help him understand the reason for their
passing. The respect he shows to the person on the slab, referring to
them as “patients,” discarding cutting implements instead of reusing
them, ordering lengthy batteries of tests instead of the ‘wrap it up
quick’ approach of his coworkers, infuriates them. Their frustration
rolls off the man’s back, as Omalu’s vision of what he is doing is
clear, guided by the teachings of his other frequent locale. Omalu’s
Christian faith is as important to him as his education, and he is a
well-liked figure in his church. For the Nigerian-born immigrant, there
is no division between science and religion, they are parts of the same
whole and each makes him who he is.
Still, not being the most
popular guy at work means a lot of weekend shifts, which is how it
happens that Bennet Omalu meets Mike Webster. The Pittsburgh Steelers’
Hall of Famer has become one of Omalu’s patients at the young age of
fifty, at the end a long, tragic journey that found the player
struggling with depression and mental illness, unsuccessful
self-medication, and losing all his trophies and money. Having no
previous interest in the sport, Omalu receives a crash course in the
religious-like zeal of the American football fan. Suddenly, the work
before him takes on a gravity he’s never experienced as his superiors
pressure Omalu away from his usual meticulousness to pass the football
hero through with no controversy. Would it were that easy, but Omalu’s
detection of extreme abnormalities in Webster’s brain compel the
examiner to seek further. His investigation, funded by his own personal
savings, reveal a heretofore undiscovered condition called CTE {chronic
traumatic encephalopathy}, wherein the cells of the brain
essentially cannibalise each other after repeated head trauma such as
that suffered during an average professional football players’ career.
The amazing revelation is one
nobody seems to want to hear. It places the onus to stop the
circumstances where such trauma - akin to being hit with a sledgehammer
over and over, Omalu explains - squarely at the foot of the multibillion
dollar titan called the National Football League. The very idea that
football could be hurting its players and even killing them, is a threat
not only to the NFL, but to one of America’s great pastimes. With so
much to lose, the NFL begins an all-out assault on Bennet Omalu to
discredit him and his findings after they are published, using tactics
that would get them thrown out of any league for foul play. They attack
those closest to Omalu, using the FBI to disrupt the lives of his
supporters, all to force the pathologist to rescind his discovery. What
chance does this earnest Nigerian man, whose only desire in life was to
share in the American Dream, have against this ugliest side of US
capitalism?
This is not the first time
Will Smith has portrayed a living American hero, but it’s possibly the
first time that the current events around the film’s release have
altered to make that subject and his story even more notable than
might’ve been originally intended.
As if Concussion’s initial
story of the backlash against the discoverer of a life-threatening
condition by that condition’s main perpetrator wasn’t gripping enough,
these past few months in American politics have added an undeniable
subtext to Bennet Omalu’s identity as an immigrant and his place in our
country. Recent world events have conspired to enflame an
already-fraught discussion about immigration in this country from those
who feel there should be no discussion and no immigration at all.
Concussion is an ostensibly familiar tale of a conglomerate and its
supporters trying to kill the messenger, despite his message being a
life-saving one. That Omalu is someone in the perilous situation of
being a guest in this country adds to the weight of what he stands to
lose, and that vulnerability changes the tone and sharpens our
perspective. The fact that Omalu begins his odyssey with no sense of
the magnitude of US football, nor the fans who will attack him for his
tidings like rabid dogs, is an important aspect of the character. There
is no way Omalu could have ever dreamed of the fight before him.
Will Smith brilliantly
portrays the utter bewilderment of a man who might have rightly expected
his discoveries to bring a sense of relief or gratitude from those
affected by it, but instead finds himself ostracised and persecuted. In
an Oscar-nom-worthy turn, Smith imparts a grace to Omalu that is never
didactic or plaster-saintly, while writer/director Peter Landesmann
doesn’t hedge away from the essential connection between the doctor and
his Christianity. That faith, along with the love of his adoring wife,
Prema, and her unwavering belief in her man, serve as Omalu’s sole
support as he watches everything he worked so hard for crumble before
him. Nothing seems to shake Omalu quite as deeply as the idea that
eventually he and Prema will be deported, as his only desire is for his
children to be born in America.
The love story between Omalu
and Prema {played with charm and gentle strength by Gugu Mbatha-Raw}
is a ray of light as his situation darkens. Thrown together as two
Nigerian immigrants who shared a faith and church, Prema’s sweet
seduction of the workaholic Omalu is patently adorable, as she shows him
a world beyond his microscope. His romantic gestures in return as they
plan their life together are entirely, heart-warmingly “aww”-inspiring.
The secondary love story
between Bennet Omalu and the United States is equally enthralling, as
he’s been enamored with the American Dream for as long as he can
remember. Part of what gives him the courage to fight back when the
NFL, media and fans step on his neck and threaten all he has, is his
conviction that this country is a place where a voice can be heard
despite opposition, where truth and righteousness can win against the
odds, and part of the film’s refreshing message is that he’s absolutely
right. Sometimes, it takes a new pair of eyes to show us the beauty
that’s been here all along.
By the film’s end, I kept
thinking how very glad I was that nobody had blocked Bennet Omalu from
becoming part of this country, and wondered how many other Bennet Omalus
we could stand to lose if we give in to the politics of hate and fear.
Powerful, inspiring, and
wonderfully acted, Concussion could not be more appropriate viewing
during this Christmas season, or at this moment in our world.
~ The Lady Miz Diva
Dec 23rd, 2015
For more information about CTE,
or to support Dr. Omalu's important
research, including his work toward a cure for the condition, please
click
HERE
to visit the
Bennet Omalu
Foundation website.
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