By Dr Khalid Ali, Film and Media Correspondent<\/p>\n
In 2017 the British healthcare system was dominated by news of escalating pressure on hospital beds and crisis alerts on a daily basis, longer than ever waiting times for clinic appointments, cancellation of elective procedures, and a surgeon signing his name<\/a> on the livers of patients he operated on! In this climate, does it not seem frivolous to talk about films of the year? Surely not, for films can offer a lot of thought-provoking subjects for viewers, healthcare professionals and patients alike. Hard hitting dilemmas relating to physical and mental health formed the storylines of such films; memories of which will linger in the hearts and minds of viewers long after 2017.<\/p>\n Watching a good film opens up the door to a world of exciting possibilities and reflections about humanity, morality, and mortality, all subjects that are the core business of medicine. My motto this year of \u2018a film a day keeps the doctor away\u2019 has been seriously tested as the more I watch films, the more I see patients’ and doctors\u2019 stories on screen; they cannot be that far away even if I tried.\u00a0 Once more the London Film Festival<\/a> in October allowed me to sample the best of \u2018world cinema\u2019.<\/p>\n My selection criteria for the year\u2019s best films followed three simple rules:<\/p>\n Fearful of copying the formula of some British TV talent competitions where the audience are kept in suspense waiting for the winner of a music or dance challenge to be announced, I deliberately left a clue for my number one film in the title above. Now here comes my top ten.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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