‘Quelques heures de printemps’ by Stéphane Brizé

When Alain is released from prison, he goes to live with his elderly mother. The relationship is tense from the outset, with the mother regularly reminding her son that this is not his home and, therefore, he cannot do as he pleases. In return, the son is often aggressive and threatens violence towards his mother. In this tense environment, the son discovers papers relating to his mother’s wish to have an assisted death with the help of the Swiss association, Dignitas. Although he is initially hesitant, as he comes to realise the extent of his mother’s cancer, the two begin to restore their relationship, and he agrees to support her. The two travel to Switzerland together and Alain remains with his mother until the end. When she drinks the cocktail of drugs that will end her life, however, there is a moment of high emotion as the two are reconciled once and for all, when the mother tells him that she loves him and he her. From this moment, there is a new sense of purpose in Alain’s life and the film closes on a decidedly optimistic note. 

The film explores many of the issues that affect French citizens travelling to Switzerland in search of an assisted death, from the medical to the social to the legal implications of the decision. In this sense, it seeks to offer a rounded perspective on the experience of assisted dying for a French citizen who chooses to die in Switzerland. The film also highlights the role of associations like Dignitas in supporting non-Swiss citizens to end their lives in the country, focusing particularly on the checks and balances that exist to ensure that an assisted death is the patient’s own wish and that they are not under any duress from relatives or friends. What emerges strongly in the film is the importance of supportive relationships at the end of life, whether they be with family and friends or complete strangers (in the form of volunteers from an assisted dying association).