In the film John Q, the Archibald family faces tragedy when their son is discovered to be suffering from critical heart problems. However, the institutions in the film pose an ethical dilemma, while reflecting the reality of our current society. Even though help is supposed to be offered to those who need it, especially to a young boy who is on the verge of losing his life, institutions have strayed from doing the right thing like providing this help. Instead, institutions focus first on profits and ignore the moral obligations of individuals. As the film points out, the oath that doctors and other physicians take when embarking on their careers is meaningless because of the systematic way in which institutions are run. Although some may have found the actions of the main character, John Archibald, immoral due to the way he handled things, such as blocking an emergency room with a gun and keeping hostages, these may also considering the fact that Archibald didn't just do it is like a cry to his son's heart. In addition to wanting to get help and healthcare for his son, John Q rebels against the corrupt system and the many companies that refuse to help his dying son due to his financial situation. This article will explore the ethical and legal issues depicted in the film John Q by analyzing John Q's decision-making process, identifying the many factors that influenced his decision-making and which of these influences appears to have had the strongest impact. Additionally, a brief update on the events depicted in the film will be provided, which will mainly include the consequences and main characters that John Q and the hospital ultimately suffered as a result of the events of the film, as well as the benefits they won. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The main problem of the film comes from the hospital board refusing to help John Q's son undergo a heart transplant. The board refused to put the son's name on the donor list, much less proceed with a heart transplant, due to John Q's financial situation. One could easily imagine things from the point of view of the hospital, where the company has to take into account the salaries of doctors, the different drugs that need to be used, the numerous costs of expensive machines in hospitals, as well as many other costs. However, it was not because of the hospital's strict policies that the film's immoral tone was set. Rather, it was due to the way hospital managers and staff handled the problem. Rebecca Payne, who was responsible for breaking the unfortunate news of their son to John Q and his wife, did so callously. Rebecca bluntly stated that their son has an irreversible heart problem where he needs a heart transplant as soon as possible and his blood pressure must not drop below 60 otherwise he has the possibility of not get there. Right after announcing this news, Rebecca told the family, without allowing them to grieve over this unexpected news, that John Q's insurance does not cover the heart transplant and that he must provide a deposit of 75,000 $ so that her son's name is listed to see if there are any matching donors. The actions of the hospital directors prove to viewers that they are yet another bourgeois institution that Karl Marx describes that thrives on funds and services and, 10(2), 249–259.