'American Doctor' Review: Genocide Is a Disease That Must Be Fixed in This Vital Documentary

Within the 93 minutes of American Doctor, documentary director Poh Si Teng offers up evidence of the harrowing and never-ending onslaught of terror that the people of Palestine are suffering through under the attacks from the IDF and the Israeli government. Yet through it all, there is a glimmer of hope seen in the utter sacrifice of the heroic Gazan and international doctors who have come into Gaza to perform just one task: saving lives.

At the center of the documentary are the three titular American doctors: Dr. Mark Perlmutter, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, and Dr. Thaer Ahmad. These three doctors, Jewish, Pakistani, and Palestinian, respectively, paint a whole and terrifying picture of the conditions not only in Gaza, but specifically in the medical community there, doing their best to staunch the bleeding of a gaping wound with little resources and no light at the end of the tunnel. A vital documentary, Teng gives an intimate look at not only the toll the genocide has had on Gaza, but on the first responders who can do nothing but give their everything, even as the hospitals they work in become military targets of bombings, and survival is far from a certainty.

'American Doctor' Is Not Presenting a Political Issue, It's Presenting a Humanitarian Crisis

Although it is about the genocide in Palestine, American Doctor is not solely a political issue. In fact, its focus lies in protecting life, and its message is about nothing more than maintaining basic humanitarian laws. That's what makes American Doctor such a compelling documentary. It's not about anything other than saving the lives of those most vulnerable. The doctors are asking for the bare minimum, and we're shown that time and time again, even the bare minimum is too much for lawmakers.

The film follows Dr. Perlmutter, an orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina, Dr. Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from California, and Dr. Ahmad, an emergency physician from Illinois, as they travel (or try to travel) to Gaza throughout 2025, both during the brief ceasefire in March and after, when the attacks resume. They operate primarily out of Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, Gaza, where they serve a slew of survivors and victims of the IDF attacks. Too many of the people who come into the hospital are teenagers, young children, and even babies.

At one point, when Teng suggests blurring photos of babies who have died in a bombing to maintain their dignity, Perlmutter strongly opposes, telling her, "Their bodies tell the story of this trauma, of this genocide. You're not doing them a service by not showing that." And that, in a nutshell, is what American Doctor is about. It forces you to meet the real people who are involved on the ground in Gaza, not just the people living in the community, but the doctors who have fought tooth and nail to just get to this war zone so they can dedicate everything they can to save people. It's as heroic as it is heartbreaking.

'American Doctor's Subjects Are the Highlight of the Documentary

The topic of the documentary is a noble one, but it's made all the better thanks to the three subjects that it centers around. What is immediately apparent when you meet the three doctors is that this cause has affected their entire lives. Dr. Perlmutter, who has gone to other war zones to give aid, is shaken by the sheer number of bodies in Gaza and has become a firebrand in the support of the people. Though, as a result of this experience, his initial return from Gaza left him distant from his long-time partner, unable to speak to anyone but those who had experienced what he saw on the ground.

Politically passionate, he is unafraid to speak out about the IDF and the ultra-national right-wing Likud party in Israel that Benjamin Netanyahu represents, even if it might offend someone. On his trip back to Gaza, he packs medical supplies, hides antibiotics through his luggage so that it can pass the security check, and happily befriends his fellow colleagues at the hospital, learning about their personal lives and tragedies.

Dr. Sidhwa, who has worked with Dr. Perlmutter before, also meets him in Gaza, but his personal story is one that is haunted by loneliness. In one honest moment, the doctor admits that his obligation to Gaza has become a weight around his neck when it comes to his personal relationships. Dating is hard, finding someone is impossible, especially when you've got the level of trauma and survivor's guilt that these doctors do. It's clear that these physicians and first responders are carrying immense burdens, and it's impossible to watch American Doctor and not be affected.

Dr. Ahmad, who spends most of his time in the documentary simply trying to get to Gaza from his home in Chicago, has the most affecting story. As the doctor with the most personal connection to Gaza, being Palestinian himself, his struggle is simply being allowed to go to the country to give aid. His Palestinian heritage — despite being born in Chicago — prevents him from entry, despite continued applications. The community he lives in praises him as a hero, and he is a loving father and husband at home, but he is determined to reach Palestine to help his people and is doing everything he can to support them.

'American Doctors' Hits the Hardest at the Simplest Moments

The most powerful part of American Doctors is when we get into what is happening in Gaza, and we're following these doctors in their day-to-day. From checking in on patients after their surgeries to working in the OR, this is where we see them come to life. Although the emotional burden they face is immeasurable, they're performing nothing short of miracles in the most dire of circumstances. As each day passes and the sounds of bombs echo in the background, the hospital shakes after being directly hit with a bomb, but the doctors are laser-focused on their only task.

The highlight of Teng's documentary is in this human element. The doctors work methodically, trying to quickly and desperately save as many lives as possible. And when it comes time for them to leave, they are filled with guilt for not being able to stay behind. It's a Sisyphean task when you see the lack of medical resources, the emotional toll that comes with speaking to the patients' families, and struggling to use their voices to advocate back home, and seeing no accountability as more hospitals are destroyed.

With more than 1700 healthcare workers having been killed in just over two years in Gaza, there's never been a more relevant time for American Doctor. Teng's feature directorial debut is a required watch, one that puts the deaths of those most innocent in your face and leaves you utterly devastated as a reminder of what has become Palestinians' unnatural new normal.

American Doctor premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.