Dr. Michael Salzhauer – also known as Dr. Miami – is one of the most famous plastic surgeons in the U.S., and the first doctor to Livestream graphic procedures such as tummy tucks and breast augmentations on Snapchat.
As someone brought up to respect and value science, when the term "documentary" is used, the expectation is that the viewing will be educational to an extent. They Call me Dr Miami is something else entirely; an eye-opening, flamboyant display that is more shock-inducing than informative, the meandering narrative manages to appeal to primal urges and sexual exploitation to keep the viewers engaged.
Of all the things to make a documentary about, it's a YouTubing, Snapchatting plastic surgeon. The magnitude of his overzealous and fake niceties, obsession with generating attention and shock, and constant accompaniment of young women that he powers over, is a disturbing snapshot into the costs of success in the new "American Dream". There is no question that Miami's reputation and following has come from the exploitation of vanity and engineered beauty expectations, his own patients admit that they understand they are paying thousands of dollars to permanently alter their bodies to meet the beauty standards of the year.
Using footage of Dr Miami's pre, during, and post-op Snapchat's, They Call Me Dr Miami is a showcase of beautiful women, nudity, and the destruction of unique characteristics. To think freckles used to be concealed with make-up, and now they are being drawn on to add beauty. Meeting these expectations is impossible when the bar keeps changing, but Dr Miami is there to help young impressionable women on their way to meeting the expectations of the season. Forget the breast cup increase, Brazilian butt lifts are the current craze.
Once the shock of the rampant nudity and the spectacle passes of this qualified plastic surgeon videoing and sharing footage of his unconscious patients online for notoriety, the reality hits that the most intriguing part of the documentary is not the frivolous nature of the capitalist American beauty system, but the two faces of dr Miami. What is seen on Snapchat and in other media is the face of Dr Miami, the man who raps and breaks into dance during medical procedures, with the looks and fake personality equivalent to that of Steve Carell's Michael Scott from the US version of The Office, who dresses up and performs skits for likes and follows, and will bend any rule that he can find if it will turn heads and bring him more attention (likely the reason for agreeing to this documentary). On the other side, is Dr Salzhauer, the Orthodox Jew, a branch of Judaism that advocates a strict observance and obeyance of the Sabbath, dietary, purity, ethical, and other laws of halakha (Jewish law).
It is the conflict of these two personalities that drives this "documentary". There is no other narrative reason for the feature. There is no point being made. There is no inciting event that we are exploring or working our way towards explaining. It is simply another means for Dr Miami to get his name in people's mouths. The audience is treated to the contrast of Miami and Salzhauer and it initially reaps the reward of believing that behind the farce on social media, is a man that genuinely wants to help people to love themselves. As the documentary progresses, it becomes clear which of his faces he prefers, which face is his priority, and how far he is willing to go to further his obsession and maintain that face.
An oddly structured but in-the-end fascinating look at the lengths Dr Salzhauer was willing to go to provide for his family, how the notoriety has, over time, tested and corrupted his own beliefs, and how the conflicting personalities drive a wedge into his own family unit and push him deeper into the rabbit hole as his need for attention intensifies.
They Call Me Dr Miami is part of the NZ Jewish International Film Festival from the 22nd of July to the 15th of August