[1] It focuses on the work of Henry Marsh, a neurosurgeon from the UK, and his efforts to help desperately ill patients in Ukrainian hospitals.

Deciding to do what he could, he started to train local doctors in surgical procedures, bringing equipment from the UK and performing surgery without charge.

Alongside Ukrainian colleague Dr Igor Kurilets, he treated many patients who had been told they had no hope of survival, despite the political issues that arose.

[2] Marsh is an English specialist neurosurgeon who operates on the brain using only local anaesthetic so that patients remain conscious and can provide feedback during the procedure.

[3] With a soundtrack composed and performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, the film is set in a bleak Ukrainian landscape as the doctors struggle against logistical odds and the old Soviet health system.

[4] Kurilets faced death threats from opponents as he attempted to improve the local health care system.

[5] Many of the patients whose brain scans they review have been diagnosed far too late due to medical costs and lack of equipment in Ukraine.