Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009)
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A struggling student overcomes academic failure and personal turmoil to become a world-renowned neurosurgeon.
The story
In 1987, Dr. Ben Carson travels to Ulm, Germany, to meet a couple with twins conjoined at the back of their heads. While he believes he can successfully separate them, he acknowledges the significant risk of losing one or both children. The narrative then shifts back to 1961 in Detroit, Michigan, where a 10-year-old Ben Carson is struggling academically. His single mother, Sonya, takes drastic measures to improve his education, including restricting television and requiring extensive reading. Despite facing bullying and personal struggles with his temper, Ben's dedication to his studies eventually leads him to academic success and a path toward medical school.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1987, Dr. Ben Carson travels to Ulm, Germany, to meet a couple, Peter and Augusta Rausch, who have twins conjoined at the back of their heads. After explaining the risks, Ben agrees to operate. The film flashes back to 1961 in Detroit, Michigan, where 10-year-old Ben Carson is failing school. His mother, Sonya, who is illiterate, forces him and his brother Curtis to study multiplication and read books while she secretly battles depression in a mental institution. Ben eventually excels academically, moving from the bottom of his class to the top. After facing bullying and a violent outburst where he nearly stabs a bully, Ben finds redemption through his Seventh-day Adventist faith. He earns a scholarship to Yale University, meets his future wife Candy, and eventually becomes a resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital. There, he takes a risk to save a dying man's life without permission, leading to a promotion. In 1985, after his wife miscarries their twins, Ben performs a successful hemispherectomy on a young girl. Returning to the 1987 surgery in Germany, Ben experiences an epiphany while playing billiards, allowing him to devise a plan to separate the conjoined twins. After a 22-hour procedure, the twins are successfully separated, and the film ends with Ben surrounded by the press.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Thomas Carter
- Writers
- John Pielmeier · writer; Cecil Murphey · co-writer
- Cast and characters
- Cuba Gooding Jr. · Ben Carson, M.D.; Gus Hoffman · teen Ben Carson; Jaishon Fisher · child Ben Carson; Kimberly Elise · Sonya Carson; Aunjanue Ellis · Candy Carson; Gregory Dockery II · teen Curtis Carson; Tajh Bellow · child Curtis Carson; Scott Stangland · Peter Rausch; Angela Dawe · Augusta Rausch
- Genres
- biographical; drama; television drama; biographical drama
- Themes
- Education; Perseverance; Faith; Medical Ethics; Overcoming Adversity
- Tone and mood
- Inspirational; Dramatic; Biographical
- Setting
- Detroit, Michigan (1961), Maryland (1985), and Ulm, Germany (1987)
- Premise and plot tags
- Biographical; Drama; Medical; Inspirational; Faith-based
- Source material / true-story basis
- The autobiography of neurosurgeon Ben Carson, co-written by Cecil Murphey and published in 1990.
- Content notes
- Bullying
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, with some noting its inspirational nature and others criticizing its pacing and soundtrack.
- Awards and nominations
- Epiphany Prize · Inspiring Television · 2010 · Win; Grace Award · Television · 2010 · Win; Screen Actors Guild Award · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie · Nomination; Directors Guild of America Award · Outstanding Directing – Television Film · Nomination; Critics' Choice Television Award · Best Movie/Miniseries · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was a Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation.; The movie premiered on TNT on Saturday, February 7, 2009.; The film is based on an autobiography published in 1990.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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