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Country Doctor

Play trailer Poster for Country Doctor 2025 38m Documentary Short Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Since 2010, over 140 hospitals in rural America have closed, leaving just one doctor for every 2,500 people. Filmed over three years in intimate cinéma vérité style, COUNTRY DOCTOR follows Dr. James Graham in Fairfax, Oklahoma (population 1,263), who has spent over 40 years dispatching medicine, comfort, and wisdom to his patients. As Fairfax Community Hospital files for bankruptcy, Dr. Graham and his team fight to provide adequate healthcare for their community. Amid staff shortages and uncertainty for the future, a new buyer for the hospital provides a cautious beacon of hope. With a severe lack of medical facilities in rural communities, Dr. Graham takes on multiple roles, dividing his time between Fairfax Hospital, a nursing home, and three clinics, one of which is 60 miles away and serves four counties. In addition, he makes house calls, treating an often poor and uninsured population. Having known some of his patients for their whole lives, he provides an essential, human lifeline to care, even traveling to the Oklahoma State Capitol to lobby for more governmental assistance. The film also features the publisher and editor of the local Fairfax newspaper, who investigates the motives of the hospital's new owner. Fairfax is a microcosm of a larger national crisis: vulnerable, rural hospitals are under-resourced, at risk of closure and facing a severe shortage of doctors. COUNTRY DOCTOR captures that crisis with clear-eyed compassion, and positions Dr. Graham's story as a powerful lens through which to understand both the fragility and the fierce resilience of rural healthcare.

Critics Reviews

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John Anderson Wall Street Journal “Think globally, film locally” might be the motto of “Country Doctor,” a sweet, intimate and troubling take on medicine in the rural U.S. and something else as well—a documentary about health care that’s also a feel-good movie. Oct 27, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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mcgregor j Really enjoyed this. Very moving! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/29/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Country Doctor

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Cast & Crew

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Shari Cookson

Director

Nick Doob

Director

James Graham

Self

Darlene Graham

Self

Joe Conner

Self

Carol Conner

Self
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Country Doctor

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Movie Info

Synopsis Since 2010, over 140 hospitals in rural America have closed, leaving just one doctor for every 2,500 people. Filmed over three years in intimate cinéma vérité style, COUNTRY DOCTOR follows Dr. James Graham in Fairfax, Oklahoma (population 1,263), who has spent over 40 years dispatching medicine, comfort, and wisdom to his patients. As Fairfax Community Hospital files for bankruptcy, Dr. Graham and his team fight to provide adequate healthcare for their community. Amid staff shortages and uncertainty for the future, a new buyer for the hospital provides a cautious beacon of hope. With a severe lack of medical facilities in rural communities, Dr. Graham takes on multiple roles, dividing his time between Fairfax Hospital, a nursing home, and three clinics, one of which is 60 miles away and serves four counties. In addition, he makes house calls, treating an often poor and uninsured population. Having known some of his patients for their whole lives, he provides an essential, human lifeline to care, even traveling to the Oklahoma State Capitol to lobby for more governmental assistance. The film also features the publisher and editor of the local Fairfax newspaper, who investigates the motives of the hospital's new owner. Fairfax is a microcosm of a larger national crisis: vulnerable, rural hospitals are under-resourced, at risk of closure and facing a severe shortage of doctors. COUNTRY DOCTOR captures that crisis with clear-eyed compassion, and positions Dr. Graham's story as a powerful lens through which to understand both the fragility and the fierce resilience of rural healthcare.
Director
Shari Cookson, Nick Doob
Producer
Shari Cookson, Nick Doob
Distributor
HBO Max
Production Co
Mackerel Sky Films
Genre
Documentary, Short
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 28, 2025
Runtime
38m