A Doctor and a Snake (2019)

Charles Bower (Dan Berkey) was once a renowned doctor, wonderful at his job, and willing to help anyone who crossed his path. However, it’s been years since the passing of his wife and child and he finds himself leaning heavily on the bottle to cope with his losses. One day he receives a call from a former patient, Chris (Keoki Trask), in distress. This is the story of A Doctor and a Snake, the story of coming to terms with your past and moving forward toward better things.

A Doctor and a Snake is reminiscent of films like Castaway, where we see a singular character, one trapped in isolation and left to his own devices. Isolation is one of the greatest forms of torture, one of the most challenging things that a person can experience, especially after a substantial loss. A Doctor and a Snake is a horror film through and through, one psychological in nature, one that appeals to viewers from the opening moments and continues until the final moments. I question horror films constantly. I’m never entirely sure that horror films terrify the way in which writers and directors had hoped–but this film instantly dives into a place that everyone will be able to understand and appreciate.

As the film plays out viewers are able to look introspectively and evaluate themselves and their own emotional state. A Doctor and a Snake brilliantly captures emotional relevance, and perfectly allows viewers to appreciate the content while making connections to themselves and the real world in the process.

The writing of Michael J. Darling obviously plays a pivotal role in how viewers receive this film, in how they understand and appreciate the content, and how they are able to make connections to Charles and his past. However, it’s Berkey that steals the show, Berkey that brings these emotions to life, and Berkey that ultimately connects with viewers. From the first time we see this character, the only character we ever actually see, he looks fractured, defeated, and ordinary. A Doctor and a Snake relies on the familiar and the typical to reach viewers, and that’s what Berkey conveys throughout. Charles is familiar—he’s just another person that seems normal and put together while out in public, but behind closed doors he’s a wreck, incapable of coming to terms with the reality that he’s been aggressively thrown into. Berkey uses his dialogue to create a character, and he uses his setting to help him grow—but it’s Berkey’s prowess, his ability to read a character and become him that sees Charles and A Doctor and a Snake come to life and reach viewers.

There isn’t anything technically astonishing about A Doctor and a Snake; this film is all about the writing and the characters (well, really just the one character). Darling creates something that viewers are able to understand and appreciate, and even better, that Berkey can build off of. Between the two A Doctor and a Snake comes to life in ways that creates terror, but more importantly it creates accessibility.

Written & Directed by Michael J. Darling.

Starring Dan Berkey & Keoki Trask.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/10