A DOCTOR FACED WITH THE DILEMMA OF SAVING THE LIFE OF THE BOY WHO KILLED HER DAUGHTER

In Swear by Apollo we experience the aftermath of yet another school shooting through the eyes of Dr. Gomez, a Latina surgeon who works at a local hospital in Clearhill, Florida. She suffers a devastating personal loss at the hands of a student possessed by racial hatred. This dramatic life event thrusts her into the unfathomable situation of choosing between succumbing to overwhelming rage or staying faithful to the Hippocratic oath she has sworn. 

The Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors about to enter the practice of medicine begins with the phrase “I Swear By Apollo.” This oath symbolizes the enormous responsibility doctors face when making life or death decisions, and the humbleness needed not to play God.

Swear by Apollo depicts the severity of the United State’s racial climate and the atrocious epidemic of mass school shootings afflicting the country. We journey into the inner worlds of hatred and deluded beliefs that can drive a person to commit atrocious acts of violence, and witness the anguish and impotence of a parent who has lost their child.  

“Skin color may be different, our blood is not.” ~ Dir. Daniel Bethencourt

Directed by Daniel Bethencourt

Produced by Mar de Fondo Studios 

Producers: Darren Heard, Hellen Piedra, Debora Habsburg

Short Film – 15 Minutes

Drama 

Psychological – Disconcerting  – Tense