Alex Thompson, who directed Saint Frances, is back with an unsettling, if uneven, sophomore film Rounding. The film has all the elements of a great psychological thriller. To be sure, it can be deeply resonant, fascinating, and disturbing, but it is far too restrained in its execution to pull off what it is ultimately trying to do. Thompson, who co-wrote the script with Christopher Thompson, brings nuanced drama in a story that could have gone completely sideways. But despite a solid performance from the film’s lead and an interesting character arc, Rounding winds up getting a bit lost in all it’s trying to accomplish.

Rounding follows James Hayman (Namir Smallwood), a medical resident who helps one of his patients with assisted suicide. It’s something she wants, but she changes her mind at the last second, leading James to pass out from the trauma of what just occurred after she has a heart attack and dies. After an extended leave from work, James returns but requests a transfer to a small town hospital to continue his residency. Once there, he’s taken under the wing of Dr. Emil Harrison (Michael Potts), and quickly becomes interested in Helen (Sidney Flanigan), an asthma patient who has suffered a severe attack. After speaking with her and looking at her charts, James is convinced there is something more sinister going on with her condition and starts investigating.

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Where Rounding excels is in its focus on James. The medical resident can’t shake the feeling that something is not right with Helen, but while all his attention is on her, he neglects to take care of himself, resulting in a psychological spiral. His state is indicative of the extreme stress residents face — it is, after all, a lot of pressure they are under. James cares immensely about his patient and constantly shows surprise and frustration when the doctors and residents don’t seem to be as invested in the health of the patient. James’ lack of sleep and stress levels cause him to hallucinate, and Thompson utilizes horror elements in such scenes to showcase the resident’s fear, desperation, and increasingly erratic behavior. Unfortunately, the horror moments are few and far between, which wouldn’t be a problem if the story had a better buildup to its ending.

That said, Smallwood’s performance is layered and effective, highlighting James’ overexerted state and the toll exhaustion has taken on his mind and body. The actor’s portrayal grounds the film and, with the addition of James as an unreliable narrator, the film is able to make his actions seem disconcerting, worrisome, and worthy of sympathy all at once. Flanigan is also great as Helen, though she gets less to do than in her critically-acclaimed film debut Never Rarely Sometimes Always. If the film succeeds in its portrayal of a medical resident’s life, it doesn’t work as well when it comes to everything else. The mystery surrounding Helen’s diagnosis is never fully fleshed out, nor does it really work. Most of the film’s drama comes from James’ obsession with her medical history and helping her, but the mystery of it all becomes frustrating after a while. If the focus was solely on James and less on whether or not Helen’s mother was involved with the symptoms her daughter is facing, the film might have been better for it.

Rounding certainly has its merits. The exploration of James as someone who is hyper-focused, caring, and intense is fascinating, as his journey from start to finish. The film’s ending leaves audiences with answers, but they aren’t as satisfying as intended because the film’s overall plot isn’t as seamlessly handled as James’ character. In Rounding, it’s the little things that have the most effect, even if the overarching themes of the story don’t mesh together as seamlessly or thoughtfully.

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Rounding had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9, 2022. The film is 90 minutes long and is not rated.