A Telehealth Drama

A Telehealth Drama

Bruce Von Stiers

The recent pandemic took its toll on so many fronts. From economic restraints to grieving the loss of a friend or relative due to COVID-19, to feeling isolated, there were a lot of psychological issues to deal with.

But, as you know, there weren't a lot of in-person meetings during the pandemic. Most meetings, if they happened at all, were done virtually. Many professionals in the psychology and therapy fields tried to accommodate their patients by having online sessions. These telehealth sessions sometimes didn't quite have the desired effect.

A short drama film deals with a day in the life of a therapist who meets with patients via video chat. The title of the film is Live Health.

Dr. Peter Marcus is on his living room sofa, ready to greet his first patient of the day. This session will be done through a video link. Just before that, he is trying to relax a bit on his patio. But is this bit of repose going to help his day?

The first patient of the day is Caroline. She reveals something to Peter she had never told anyone before. Although it is a bit relieving to Caroline, it might not be a therapeutic breakthrough.

Jason tells Peter that he's having a bit of a breakthrough and thanks him for it. But Peter seems a bit overwhelmed after that session.

A young woman, Sara, is having a hard time with memories of people she's lost and things that are no longer around.

Then there is Lincoln. He took Peter's advice about dealing with his daughter. Lincoln has a daughter who wants nothing to do with him. But Peter's advice doesn't seem to have done any good.

But at the end of the day, Peter is spent. And he needs to have his own session with a therapist.

Mary Kellogg Gray played Caroline. This film is her only IMDB credit. Matthew Harris played Jason. He appeared in the film Amber Dreams. Becca Robinson played Sara. She was the first assistant director for the animated film Kintsugi. Bob Rutan played Lincoln. He's appeared in numerous short films as characters like a homeless man, a barfly and a panhandler.

Heidi Swarthout played Dr. Claire Higginson, Peter's therapist. This is her only IMDB listed film. But she is heavily involved in stage productions, recently having concluded a lead role in August: Osage County.

Timothy J. Cox played Peter. He has starred or appeared in more than one hundred-fifty films. Those films include Sundays With Dad, After and Creatures of Habit, all of which I've reviewed.

Timothy wrote the screenplay and co-directed the film with his wife, Jamie Cox. She also was the cinematographer for the film. Jamie's previous screen credits include producing the short dramedy film, Total Performance and interning on the Anna Nicole Show.

Live Health is a film that shows just how much it can take out of a person who tried helping others during the recent pandemic. The problems that each patient revealed seemed authentic, especially Lincoln's. And Peter's being overwhelmed at the thought that he's not really helping his patients felt all too real.

Live Health can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/wz9Sw-s4ONs

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