Many films can draw a parallel with important events for humanity or the myths of ancient worlds in the modern world. Thousands of years have passed, and interest in this period still does not fade. Thus, similarities can be found between Philipp Stelzl’s film The Physician and the hero of ancient myths, Gilgamesh. When analyzing such a comparison, anyone can deduce a vital lesson for themselves.
Gilgamesh was half god and a horrible and dreadful despot, forcing people to work at meaningless jobs. Gilgamesh did not recognize the power of the gods, did not listen to anyone, and made decisions personally. The main character of the film, Rob, on the other hand, was an ordinary person. After an unknown illness kills a member of his family, the young man becomes interested in knowledge related to medicine. Rob goes on a long journey for further study, posing as a Jew to be accepted in another land.
In both works, the search for the truth of the characters is prompted by a tragic event in their lives. For Gilgamesh, this event was the death of his new brother, with whom they were very close. After the death, the king realized that he was more afraid of his death than anything else in the world. Realizing his mortality, the main character decided to find out the reason for the immortality of the gods. For the leading character in the film The Physician, the impetus was the unexpected death of the protagonist’s mother. Shocked to the core, Rob, at all costs, seeks to solve the mystery of the deathly disease. In addition, the young man discovers his talent for the first time. The character learns that he is able to feel the death that has settled in the body of a sick person.
Both characters appear to be powerful and stubborn natures. Despite the existing limitations of their worlds, they persist in their goal. Therefore, Rob, who pretended to be a Jew, goes to Persia, where the protagonist becomes a disciple of the great physician Avicenna. In addition, despite the condemnation from society about the irreligious actions of the young man, the main character does not stop even before the fear of the court. The story of the man can be considered almost mythical. Its components are supernatural talent, a first mediocre teacher, a clearly defined goal, and a solo journey to gain knowledge in an alien environment.
The myth of Gilgamesh seems to tell the readers about the immortality of man-not in a magical elixir or a gift from the gods. Having received the gift of the gods, promising eternal youth, Gilgamesh inadvertently lost it. The main secret lies in human affairs and actions. For some reason, the city that Gilgamesh ruled lasted for many centuries. So the town preserved the memory of the brave and courageous ruler, granting the immortal memory to the ruler.
The film is presented as one of the myth variations of the protagonist’s story on the way to the cherished goal, which acts as the main similarity in the stories. The primary line of The Physician is knowledge and truth. In general, it can be classified as a motivating work of cinematography. The main character from childhood wanted to find the answer to the disease that killed his mother and put half his life into it. So did the hero of the myths, the ruler Gilgamesh. Wanting to know the secret of the immortality of the gods, the character was ready to go to any lengths to achieve the goal. Both analyzed works make a unique contribution, teaching that people should never go astray in achieving what they want.