World Premiere: June 19, 2025
Festival: Opening Night Film, Dances With Films
Venue: TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, CA
Director: Chris Hartwell
By Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/1/25 – “We all got a big day and today is one for you —thank you. Do No Harm is amazing,” said Valerie Milano of The Hollywood Times, kicking off her interview with director Chris Hartwell and lead actor Harry Shum Jr. on opening night at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre. And she’s right: the film’s world premiere was not only a major moment for the cast and crew—it was a defining opening for the entire 2025 Dances With Films festival.
Click below to see our exclusive interview:
Set in the tense, high-stakes world of modern medicine, Do No Harm drops viewers into the escalating crisis of Sam (Shum Jr.), a surgical specialist thrust into a moral and professional dilemma with life-or-death consequences. What begins as a routine procedure spiral into a tightly wound psychological thriller, where every decision—and hesitation—can tip the scales between life, liability, and legacy.
“The north star was always that we all make mistakes and all need grace—no matter how ‘superhuman’ we seem,” said Hartwell. “Even those we view as larger-than-life in healthcare are human, capable of error, and in need of compassion.”
This sentiment guides the film’s tone, which fuses the clinical and the chaotic: a story about systems designed to save lives that can just as easily crush them. Do No Harm explores what happens when the oath to protect is pitted against the pressure to perform.
Harry Shum Jr., in a quietly ferocious lead role, embodies this duality with precision. Known for his work in Everything Everywhere All At Once and Grey’s Anatomy, Shum calls this one of his most visceral performances.
“Sam’s always moving, barely has time to breathe, yet must care for patients physically and emotionally,” Shum said. “I pushed myself to the edge to feel how far I could go before falling off. Sam never gets that release.”
His restraint is as powerful as his breakdowns—moments that play out with minimal dialogue but maximal intensity. Shum’s physicality mirrors the emotional toll of someone carrying an impossible burden beneath a professional mask.
The Cinematographer and editor heighten the pressure with a visual language that feels both invasive and intimate. Shots linger on gloved hands, pulsating monitors, sterile tiles. The cold palette and tight framing evoke the emotional isolation of a system obsessed with perfection. The sound design—deliberately spare—lets silence, beeps, and breath dominate the screen.
“I wanted to drop audiences into Sam’s adrenaline-fueled day in healthcare,” Hartwell explained. “It’s ‘Uncut Gems’ meets a medical thriller.”
Indeed, the film operates like a beating heart under stress—its rhythms irregular, its pauses terrifying.
Hartwell, making his feature directorial debut, praised Shum’s commitment and humility.
“Harry is both a superstar and a generous collaborator,” he said. “From Day One he trusted me completely. That let me ask, ‘What do you think?’ or ‘Let’s try this,’ and he always brought his A-game.”
The two clearly forged a partnership grounded in mutual respect—one that’s palpable onscreen in every scene’s emotional texture.
Both Hartwell and Shum have promising projects on the horizon. Harry is developing a supernatural action thriller and a modern dance musical. Hartwell, meanwhile, just wrapped a TV pilot titled Happiest Place, based loosely on his years performing at Disneyland.
But for now, Do No Harm marks a high point for both—a film that doesn’t shout its message but lets it bleed through quiet, human, and devastatingly honest.
Verdict: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
Do No Harm is a pulse-tightening, morally complex debut that slices through the myth of infallibility in healthcare—and hits straight to the heart. Anchored by Harry Shum Jr.’s riveting performance and Chris Hartwell’s precise, emotionally intelligent direction, it opens Dances With Films on a bold, haunting note. Don’t miss it.
Screening Time: Thursday, June 19th, 7:30 pm
Venue: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood
Watch our exclusive interview with the cast and director at Hollywood Times Official on YouTube.
