‘Un Beau Matin’ by Mia Hansen-Løve

In this semi-autobiographical film by Mia Hansen-Løve, the screenwriter tells a story resembling that of her father’s death from Benson Syndrome. The protagonist, Sandra, is a single mother of an eight-year-old daughter who takes on the primary caregiver role for her father after the onsetting of his degenerative neurological disorder. The film depicts Sandra’s struggles in the face of caring for herself, her daughter, and her father. The film does not depict any discussion about Sandra’s father’s desires for end-of-life care, however he is at times seen in the film expressing a desire to go to sleep forever. Sandra wrestles with what her father’s expression means and considers whether he desires euthanasia.

The film takes place In the context whereby French law prohibits the act of suicide and the act of assisting another in an act of suicide, regardless of the medical context. Claeys-Léonetti law allows for only deep sedation for patients at end of life. Although assisted death is not discussed in the film, the absence of the discussion of what Sandra’s father would want for his end-of-life care is notable. At several moments he is seen expressing a desire to be put to go to sleep forever, which certain media citations have viewed as an inexactly expressed wish for euthanasia. The film was released in 2022 just after the French government had launched the idea of a citizens' convention to discuss expanding the Claeys-Léonetti law to include assisted death.