‘Les mots de la fin’ by Gaëlle Hardy

Gaëlle Hardy and Agnès Lejeune’s documentary brings the viewer into the heart of assisted dying in Belgium, into the office of one of the physicians responsible for evaluating patients’ requests for euthanasia. In opening up the very private space of the consulting room, the film showcases the human side of assisted dying, focusing on the individual stories of those requesting an assisted death and on their relationships with their family, friends and Dr Damas, the physician who has the power to support or reject their application. This focus on personal stories makes the core issues of the film all the more tangible, calling the viewer to reflect deeply on the questions raised. The documentary also provides insights on the evaluation process prior to an assisted death in Belgium. It brings the viewer into the meetings in which physicians evaluate requests and decide their outcome. In this sense, it has a somewhat educational quality, seeking to inform the viewer on the practical aspects of requesting an assisted death in Belgium.

Produced almost twenty years after the introduction of euthanasia in Belgium, there is an extent to which the film is a response to the criticisms that the country’s assisted dying provision has faced over that time. By bringing the viewer, quite literally, to the centre of the debate and showcasing the reflective process of physicians, both individually (with their patients) and collectively (as part of a wider medical team), there is an attempt to quieten the critique that the system has become overly liberal, with physicians offering an assisted death to anyone who requests it. By highlighting the human dimension of assisted dying, particularly in the powerful closing scenes, where the sounds of an assisted death are heard (no images are ever shown), and by presenting the humanity of Dr Damas, the film also seeks to move away from an idea of an assisted death as cold and clinical and towards an understanding of it as something much more akin to the values of palliation. As the media coverage and interest group attention suggest, it seems likely that this film will play an important role in shaping societal understandings of assisted dying in Belgium, and in prompting reflection in other francophone countires where the question of legalising assisted dying is currently under debate.