‘Zondag gaat het gebeuren’ by Joeri Vlekken

This documentary portrays the final months of Carl Ridders’ life – Carl was a 50-year-old Dutch/Belgian actor who was diagnosed with the motor neuron disease ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Throughout the film, Carl is accompanied by his friend, the photographer Lieve Blancquaert, who documents Carl’s final months through photography. While director Joeri Vlekken captures the broader narrative on film, Lieve’s photoshoots provide an intimate view of Carl’s journey with ALS. The documentary starts in June when Lieve takes various photos of him in different settings and positions in his house in Antwerp. Carl’s 50th birthday at the beginning of July is a bittersweet celebration, coinciding with his rapid physical decline – he is losing control of his hands and is therefore increasingly reliant on others. He openly discusses ALS’s progression: how, after losing the function of one’s feet and hands, issues with speaking and swallowing follow before the lungs ultimately fail. Fully aware of this trajectory, Carl decides to take control of his end-of-life experience by filing a request for euthanasia. In September, Carl and Lieve spend time at the beach, reflecting on love and death, and Carl takes the stage one last time in a theatre, a poignant farewell to his life as a performer. By November, Carl can only speak slowly and with great effort. In a conversation with Lieve, he contemplates the timing of his euthanasia, stating that there is little point in prolonging the agony and that he feels a sense of safety since his request was approved. With the words ‘zondag gaat het gebeuren’ (‘Sunday it will happen’), the screen fades to black. In the end credits, it is revealed that Carl died on the 7th of December 2008, surrounded by friends and family, with hundreds of flowers, fine words and music, delicious tarts and champagne.

Zondag gaat het gebeuren garnered some success after its release in 2009. The documentary won the Scam jury prize for Best Belgian Documentary at the documentary festival Docville in Leuven. It was also shown at the European Spiritual Film Festival in Paris, where it won the best European spiritual film award. The documentary serves not only as an intimate portrait of Carl but also as a compelling documentation of ALS’s relentless progression. Motivated by Carl’s friend Michaël Pas, who was struck by the speed of Carl’s decline, the project began with a call to Lieve Blancquaert, who then, together with director Joeri Vlekken, helped capture Carl’s journey on film. While Lieve documented it through photography, Joeri Vlekken joined Lieve’s visits and documented it on film. According to Carl, very little is known about ALS due to a lack of research, making the documentary especially meaningful to him. By sharing his personal journey, he hoped to foster a deeper understanding of living with ALS and to emphasise the urgent need for further research. The documentary’s artistic style – shot primarily in black and white with carefully chosen colour highlights, such as during scenes from Carl’s performances and occasional red accents, which are symbolic of the theatre – reflects Carl’s artistic spirit and his deep love for theatre and performance. Carl’s voiceover, in which he philosophises about life, love and death, accompanies certain scenes in a way that gives the viewers the feeling of being privy to his inner monologue. The documentary, highly artistic in its execution, conveys how integral self-expression was to his identity. It quickly becomes clear that losing his voice – and thus his ability to communicate – would signify the end of a meaningful life for Carl. This supports his decision to request euthanasia, rooted in the belief that life without the ability to articulate himself would lose its essence. Through its deliberate construction, the film not only illustrates this choice but also invites the audience to reflect on euthanasia as a means of preserving dignity and comfort in one’s final moments.