Rounding Review: Intriguing & Engaging Thriller Is Too Restrained [Tribeca]
Alex Thompson, who directed Saint Frances, is back with an unsettling, if uneven, sophomore film Rounding. The film has all the elements of a great psychological thriller. To be sure, it can be deeply resonant, fascinating, and disturbing, but it is far too restrained in its execution to pull off what it is ultimately trying to do. Thompson, who co-wrote the script with Christopher Thompson, brings nuanced drama in a story that could have gone completely sideways. But despite a solid performance from the film’s lead and an interesting character arc, Rounding winds up getting a bit lost in all it’s trying to accomplish.
Rounding follows James Hayman (Namir Smallwood), a medical resident who helps one of his patients with assisted suicide. It’s something she wants, but she changes her mind at the last second, leading James to pass out from the trauma of what just occurred after she has a heart attack and dies. After an extended leave from work, James returns but requests a transfer to a small town hospital to continue his residency. Once there, he’s taken under the wing of Dr. Emil Harrison (Michael Potts), and quickly becomes interested in Helen (Sidney Flanigan), an asthma patient who has suffered a severe attack. After speaking with her and looking at her charts, James is convinced there is something more sinister going on with her condition and starts investigating.
Related: Allswell Review: Character-Driven Drama Is Poignant & Moving [Tribeca]
Where Rounding excels is in its focus on James. The medical resident can’t shake the feeling that something is not right with Helen, but while all his attention is on her, he neglects to take care of himself, resulting in a psychological spiral. His state is indicative of the
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