Meet Lisa. She had a difficult childhood due to the bullying she received for her body shape, particularly her lack of a prominent buttocks. Naturally, this caused Lisa to grow up to exhibit her body for strangers as a stripper. Lisa struggles as an exotic dancer to make even a quarter of the income the other strippers make because of her perceived derriere deficiencies.
Now meet Malcom. As final year medical student (who apparently doesn't have to do a medical internship like real doctors do) his contrast and incompatibility with Lisa couldn't be more stark. He is on the verge of completing his studies, preparing for his final exam a couple of days away. He's also Lisa's boyfriend. Yes really, we are asked to believe pole dancer Lisa has a medical student boyfriend moments away from becoming a doctor. Malcom loves Lisa and is happy to support her in showing her body to strangers for money, displaying no signs of shame or concern in her chosen career. But, no pun intended, what Malcom really wants to do is support Lisa financially.
Lisa becomes frustrated however with the idea of waiting a few more weeks for Malcom to graduate and secure a stable job. Feeling dissatisfied with her earnings compared to other strippers, she impulsively decides to spend $25,000 on surgery, with hopes of improving her future prospects. Surprisingly, instead of pursuing an education or addressing other pressing flaws, Lisa's focus is solely on enhancing her buttocks. However, Lisa's plans are blocked when the very first surgeon she consults declines to perform the operation. As it turns out, Lisa is no stranger to the fact that she possesses a "rare" disorder that impacts her blood clotting factor, creating an unsatisfactory level of medical risk when it comes to undergoing cosmetic surgery. A fact that probably should have been discussed before that moment, and likely would have negatively influenced Lisa's view of unnecessary elective surgeries.
Driven by desperation, Lisa decides a back alley surgery is her only option, and so with Malcoms full support, predictably there are disastrous consequences.
There is that period in every aspiring filmmakers career where they only manage to produce cringe-worthy embarrassment. For writer/directors Aleshia Cowser-Jackson and Aaron Tyson, "Clinic" is right at the commencement of that period. As a no-budget production, the film ambitiously tackles themes outside the reach of the creators in terms of both skill and insight, resulting in a film lacking both depth and substance.
The film suffers from an inadequacy of thorough research for its script, resulting in an overall feeling of emptiness that permeates every aspect of the production. The set design lacks purpose, stripping away any remaining depth the film may have mustered. Scenes often lack coherence and fail to establish a proper foundation, disregarding industry-specific procedure and norms (particularly those related to healthcare), as well as realistic human behavior and reactions. Characters are flat and one dimensional, almost exclusively acting irrationally and without clear motivation.
There is a distinct absence of character development and progression in "Clinic", and so there are no stakes. No one learns anything, nothing is truly at risk, leaving the audience with little reason to become emotionally invested. The state of generally poor acting from the entire cast further contributes to this issue. Particularly abysmal performances by Rayyaan Jameel and Barry Piacente stand out as red flags to stop watching. Many of the characters seem to serve no purpose in the story, leaving this reviewer questioning their existence. Darla (Roxzane T. Mims) is the perfect example, her only actions and dialogue revolve around using the bathroom, drinking coffee and eating her food "before it gets cold" with no contribution to the story.
The cinematography in the film gives the impression of being captured on an iPhone, although that might not be the actual case. The camera shakes, rattles and rolls with handheld shots that fluctuate between being too close or too distant. Similarly, the lighting is a victim of inconsistency, frequently rendering characters dimly lit without taking into account their skintones and the background, resulting in instances where they are unintentionally reduced to mere silhouettes. In fact, the main clinic scenes are so inadequately lit that it becomes difficult to comprehend how any character could enter without anticipating dire outcomes.
Editing of the film also suffers from a lack of motivation, often feeling amateurish and disconnected from the narrative. Dr. Allen (Shavonia Jones) is a homocidal maniac. Giving her a fleeting explained melancholic backstory does not change this and certainly does not equate to a meaningful plot twist. Ultimately "Clinic" is an amateurish husk of a film which lacks surprise, memorable moments or reason for its audience to care. No sane person acting honestly and without familiar bias would rate "Clinic" highly nor recommend anyone watch it. Instead, it feels like a project that a filmmaker might keep for personal reflection and learning, not as something to be inflicted on others. If there existed the possibility to assign a rating lower than one star to this film, I strongly believe it would be my obligation in honesty to exercise that choice. I wholeheartedly advise against watching this movie, as the moments spent on it are irretrievable and offer no value in return.
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