The Waiting Room (2012/III)

Cast: Cynthia Y. Johnson, Douglas White, Eric Morgan, Demia Bruce, Davelo Lujuan

Director: Peter Nicks

Rating: NR

Running Time: 81 min.

Synopsis: A rock-solid verite docu, Peter Nicks' "The Waiting Room" spends hard time in the emergency room at Highland Hospital in Oakland, Calif., where patients often have to wait all day to be seen, then weeks or even months to receive follow-up treatments. Its largely uninsured, poor, black clientele can't afford a more convenient option. Yet even as Nicks provides ample evidence why our national health-care system needs fixing, his film finds inspiration in the dedication and resilience of a medical staff working under constant pressure, as well as the resigned patience of (most) patients.