Tribeca 2022: Rounding Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

Characters haunted by their pasts has been a common trope in countless films therefore what truly sets them apart in the end is their execution of such a familiar trope. The best films allow audiences to feel what they feel and thus connect with them and the various ups and down over the course of the stories their respective stories. It just makes it all that much more impactful. When it comes to Rounding, it’s a film that is certainly ambitious in packing in so much over its short 90 minute running time, taking the theme of trauma in interesting directions by unpacking it as a character study masquerading as an engaging psychological thriller. While all those pieces may not all work or come together as well as it could have, what ultimately holds the film together is a star-making lead performance from Namir Smallwood who conveys several layers of emotions in what was a strong character arc.

Rounding follows an ambitious young medical student named James Hayman (Smallwood) who sought a rural hospital as a means of a fresh start after an incident at his previous hospital. However, those past demons quickly came back with a vengeance as Hayman’s focus was on a young asthma patient named Helen (Flanigan). Her condition baffled the doctors and hospital staff but Hayman’s big city perspective led him to believe that there was something more there. Despite plenty of opposition, he made it his mission to get to the bottom of what was happening at great detriment to him. Losing sleep and his mind, this left him in a vulnerable state both physically and mentally and opened him up to his past demons who only served as more hurdles to contend with as things were not always what they seemed. Meanwhile, as far as Hayman and Helen were concerned, something had to give and the only question was who was going to survive.

At the end of the day, the best part of Rounding was the aforementioned star-making performance from Smallwood as Hayman. He carries the film by pulling audiences into his pain and general anxiety and making them care. His ambition may have earned him a reputation but in his new environment, he was dedicated to help people and Helen at all costs out of a need to do the right thing. Though the film was essentially Smallwood for the most part, Flanigan still brought plenty of charm and youthful naivety to Helen while Potts was a solid mentor type as Dr. Harrison.

Rounding, above all else, is a nice surprise that is sure to leave many on the edge of their seats.

still courtesy of Tribeca

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.