In Mexico City, the government only operates 45 ambulances for a population of over 9 million people. 9 million people. 45 ambulances. By way of comparison, the Fire Department of New York City has 450 ambulances serving the five boroughs, a population of about 8.6 million people. With rampant violence throughout Mexico City and medical emergencies of all types on the rise, there is a shortage of trained and certified EMT's and licensed transports to get people to hospitals.
Enter the entrepreneurial but ragtag Ochoas family who operates their own private paramedic unit and ambulance. The family acts as a crucial - although completely unregistered and unauthorized - lifeline to those who need emergency medical assistance and transport. The Ochoa family has a reputation for being honest and trustworthy, but they are in a risky business where getting patients to pay for services is difficult, and bribing police to turn a blind eye is a regular occurrence. The competition is also fierce as more and more private citizens jump into the game to be the first to respond to the police scanners and get to critically injured patients.
While the Ochoas family is altruistically motivated, it is clear they lack training. Their primary medic, Juan, is only 17 years old and barely made it out of high school. Clean-up of blood and bodily fluids in the ambulance is done with paper towels, a little water, and maybe some Windex. And while the Ochoas family provides a desperately needed service, one questions how things can continue on this kind of a trajectory with practically no oversight and under such moral duress.
Director Luke Lorentzen takes us on a blurring and dizzying ride through the frenetic emergency ecosystem of Mexico City full of high-speed ambulances rides and desperate attempts to save lives. But it also shows an incredibly dysfunctional health care system that looks only to get worse, and the toll it takes on, not only patients, but those who attempt to provide much-needed services.
"Midnight Family" Broadway Centre Cinemas January 31, 2019
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