Analyze

This film shows live footage of interactions in the hospital as well as voice over narrations that highlight the mood and stress of the situation. They give some statistics, but the main point of this film is to show the stories of some patients and the doctors and staff to highlight their message. It has an emotional appeal in the sense that viewers can sympathize with and feel frustrated for all parties involved - not just the patients.

The film has a lot of emotional appeal by introducing each patient and their family situation. The doctors show their frustrations and humanity too - they want to help everyone and they can't give everyone everything. All of the narritive is made through following patients and doctors through their interactions. Scientific information is given through listening to the doctors, and a lot of family information is seen through direct infomation from the families and patients, as well as their interactions with each other.

The argument is made and sustained by filming various types of patients in the hospital: a diabetic women who was given a sandwich after waiting for hours, a man who did not want to recieve dialysis because of the ordeal of waiting he had to endure each time he was at the hospital, a boy who got shot and died inside the trauma room, a man who had bone spurs on his spine, to name a few. The narrative is also sustained through the view of the patients, the doctors, the nurses and the financial staff all views of the healthcare system are shown and maintained. The film does have emotional appeal because it follows patients from when they first enter the ER to when they leave: for example a little girl who had a severe case of strep throat and could not talk, to her getting treatment, a doctor's appointment and then being discharged. The film portrays each patient in a way that allows the viewer to want to see more of their story.

The Waiting Room, being a documentary, uses a plethora of personal annecdotes in order to support the argument emotionally. The arguement is supported from more than one direction which, in my opinion, makes this such an empowering film. The film combats the problem from both the patient and clinical side showing frustrations on both sides. 

The film provides direct footage of what goes on in the waiting room. It follows the triage nurse, several patients who come in through the waiting room, and several patients who come in from the ambulance. The film also has segments with doctors and social workers. This film does not present with scientific information but more of a real life account for the viewer to observe. The emotional appeal of the film is driven by the connection the viewer develops with some of the patients and ties to any personal experiences the viewer may have with emergency rooms.