Sometimes good storytelling is as simple as ... telling a good story.

Montefiore Einstein hospital and agency Alto recruited a pair known for their storytelling chops—actor Paul Giamatti and director Alexander Payne—to create a short film about a New Yorker battling lung disease.

Giamatti and Payne collaborated previously on the movies “Sideways” and “The Holdovers.” The new 2:30 film is set in a diner, where Giamatti is chatting with friends over breakfast—and brings up the true story of Paul Rivera, who has lived his life right but is still facing bleak odds of survival, after another hospital denies him a lung transplant because of a pre-existing condition.

Giamatti is as compelling as ever, and the glimpses of Rivera’s life through the years feel real, lending credible emotion to the piece. For Alto and Montefiore Einstein, the work extends their tradition of making excellent short films that highlight the hospital network’s services through rich narratives that go beyond the category’s standard data-driven messaging.

Also read: Inside Montefiore’s magical holiday ad about a boy’s epic flight of imagination

“So often, medical stories over-rely on facts and statistics, rather than telling the human story behind doctor and patient,” said Hannes Ciatti, founder and chief creative officer at Alto. “In New York, stories about local heroes are passed on to become legends. Paul Rivera and Montefiore Einstein’s story is worthy of that treatment and from the best storytellers. Paul Giamatti and Alexander Payne were both excited to share it, and celebrate Montefiore Einstein for practicing world-class healthcare for all.”

”I was moved to be asked to tell the story of a man’s successful recovery from lung disease—and not just any man, but a man who embodies the dictum that ‘the door to happiness opens outward,’” said Payne. “I was even more moved to meet the man himself and to tell his story in collaboration with the great Paul Giamatti.”

The campaign went live Sunday (Sept. 15) across TV, social, print, OOH and OTT.

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