Introduction
The film Concussion, shot by Peter Landesman in 2015, is based on real-life events. In this film, the main character is a pathologist from Nigeria named Bennet Omalu. He has about seven scientific degrees and graduated from prestigious universities. He needs to find out the cause of people’s death, not just to fix the fact of death.
In this film, famous football players die one after another in secret. In the beginning, they develop a mental illness and later commit suicide. The doctor decides to study the actual cause of death of athletes and finds it in the concussions received during the game. People who earn a lot of money from this kind of sport do not like the actual cause of death and are trying to interfere with Dr. Omalu’s research. This paper discusses ethical issues such as good and evil, the problem of authorship of scientific discoveries, and the combination of these with the natural desire for happiness, which is found in the film Concussion.
Ethical Issues Presented in the Film
Good and Evil
This film has ethical problems, such as good and evil. The people of the football association are trying in every way to resist Dr. Omalu’s research. In turn, the doctor wants to find death’s true essence to avoid repeating such cases.
However, those who benefit from football do not want to admit the truth (Netflix 00:55:30-00:55:56). In other words, they are ready to harm their athletes in their favor further, while the doctor wants to help. Hence, there is a particular concept of both good and evil. The good side wants to find out the real cause of the deaths of famous former athletes, thereby trying to save the lives of future athletes who may find themselves in a similar situation.
Intellectual Property
Further, the film Concussion includes the ethical issue of credit for scientific findings. As mentioned above, the main character is originally from Nigeria. In addition, he is dark-skinned, which leads him to such a problem that he is not recognized in the scientific society (Netflix 01:26:25-01:28:20).
A striking example is how he was not allowed into the conference and was demanded to speak by another white doctor. Moreover, the speaker uses a prepared presentation by Dr. Omalu. First, such a phenomenon can offend a person’s feelings and discriminate in some way.
Strive for Happiness
Finally, the ethical problem of combining with the natural desire for happiness is present in the film Concussion. The main character’s dream was to become a real American, and he has come a long way. However, the feeling that he is obliged to find the actual cause of the athletes’ deaths leads him to internal conflict with himself (Netflix 01:18:20-01:22:10).
On the one hand, it would be a blessing for him to be recognized among Americans. However, on the other hand, these same Americans resist the desire to find the truth. If you give up personal desires that would give him happiness, the doctor will lose the meaning of life. However, his medical duty does not allow him to lie for individual interests.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are three ethical issues in this film. The main character, Omalu, meets with them on the way to achieving the truth about the deaths of famous American football players. In the movie, there is a division between evil and good, which causes an ethical problem, the central theme of which is people’s lives. In addition, the attribution of authorship prevents the main character from proving a new theory. Moreover, the hero meets with the ethical problem of the desire for personal happiness and professional responsibilities, which causes an internal dispute in the hero.
Work Cited
“Concussion.” Netflix, uploaded by Netflix. 2015. Web.