Assisted Lab’s Living Archive of Assisted Dying

Tim Wilson

Griefwalker profiles Stephen Jenkinson as he leads a palliative care counselling team at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. The film is a meditation on grief, the fear of death, and the failure of palliative care to address this fear as patients near death.

Peter Richardson (director)

This documentary follows the stories of a number of individuals in Oregon who have chosen to, or are considering, making use of the state’s death with dignity law. Through these stories, it paints the legalization of assisted suicide in an extremely positive light, demonstrating the gratitude and relief of individuals who can legally access medications which will end their lives.

Harry Macqueen

Tusker and Sam, romantic partners for over twenty years, face Tusker’s early onset dementia diagnosis by taking a road trip around the United Kingdom to visit their favourite places. All is well until Sam discovers that Tusker plans to end his life before he is dependent on others for his personal care.

The Fifth Estate (CBC News), Gillian Findlay

This documentary explores medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada as Parliament prepares to remove the exclusion in the law that does not allow people to access MAID if their sole criteria for access is a mental illness. The documentary takes a critical stance, introducing viewers to instances where MAID was seemingly approved for non-medical reasons or in reaction to mental health crises.

Benoît Dutrizac, André Saint-Pierre, Marie-Josée Lévesque, et al.

After battling multiple sclerosis for much of her life, Manon Brunelle attempted to take her life herself. After this unsuccessful attempt, the documentary tells the story of why she is choosing to end her life in Switzerland through the organization Dignitas.

Michael Haneke (director and writer)

Diagnosed with a severe, neurodegenerative condition, Anne steadily declines into a state near paralyses, leaving her entirely dependent on her husband, Georges, and the nurses he employs. Following ever-increasing pressures on Georges, he makes the snap decision to suffocate his wife, in what is presented as a mercy killing, calling us to question the definition of an assisted death.

Kevin Eastwood (Director and Producer)

This 2016 documentary provides a behind-the-scenes view of the legal team at the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association as they bring the Carter case to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Carter case led to the legalization of assisted death in Canada and this change in the law is presented in a favourable light through the filmmaker’s editorial choices.

Elena Lindemans (director)

Filmmaker Elena Lindemans discusses her mother’s suicide with her sister, her mother’s partner, doctors and others. Her mother took her own life after doctors told her that her mental suffering did not meet the criteria for euthanasia. The documentary critiques the limited access to euthanasia for psychological reasons at the time of its production, despite having been legally possible since 2002.

Olivier Nakache (director and writer), Éric Toledano (director and writer), Philippe Pozzo di Borgo (writer)

Based on a true story, this film recounts the unlikely friendship between Philippe, a very wealthy, widowed quadriplegic, and his hired caregiver Driss, a young man living in Paris’ poorer suburbs. As they get to know and come to trust one another, each shows the other something of his way of life, rekindling in the process his respective sense of purpose and joie de vivre.

François Ozon (director and writer), Emmanuèle Bernheim (writer), Philippe Piazzo (writer)

Following a transient ischemic attack, André Bernheim, the father of novelist Emmanuèle Bernheim, asks his daughter to help him end his life. The film follows Emmanuèle and her sister, Pascale, as they come to terms with their father’s decision and try to navigate the complex legalities that surround assisted dying for French citizens in Switzerland.

Florian Baxmeyer (director) and Thorsten Näter (writer)

76-year-old Katharina, who lives in Hamburg, decides to travel to Zurich to take her own life with the help of an assisted suicide organisation. Her daughter, Heike, tries to prevent this through court proceedings, where she argues that her mother lacks the mental capacity to make this decision. But Katharina is able to convince the judge of her mental competence and ends up travelling to Zurich.

Benjamin Kempf (director) and Jann Preuss (writer)

Erika who suffers from cancer and her healthy husband Ruedi wish to die together by assisted suicide. When the lethal drug is ready, Ruedi is overcome with doubt, and the two argue. Ruedi ultimately drinks the deadly substance as well and lies down in bed with his wife. This short film, the first to explore double suicide in organised assisted suicide in Switzerland, is highly ambivalent.

Clint Eastwood (director and producer), Paul Haggis (screenwriter)

In this sports drama, Maggie Fitzgerald rises through the boxing ranks with the guidance of trainer Frankie Dunn and his long-time friend Scrap before becoming a quadriplegic from an injury sustained in a fight. The film garnered critical acclaim and won four Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, but drew criticism from disability rights activists for its portrayal of disability.

Rowan Deacon (director)

This primetime television documentary follows UK resident Simon Binner, diagnosed with an aggressive form of motor neurone disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), as he and those around him deal with his swiftly progressive illness and his decision to end his life through an assisted death in Switzerland.

Valeria Golino (Director), Valia Santella (Writer)

In Valeria Golino’s ‘Miele’, Irene illegally assists in the deaths of terminally ill individuals. Her understanding of her work is challenged, however, when she meets Carlo who wishes to die but is physically healthy. The film is more interested in Irene’s internal conflict than in advancing a position for or against assisted dying, yet it nonetheless explores various opinions and experiences.

La Maison Simons, Broken Heart Love Affair

The advertisement All is Beauty depicts in a positive light the final days of a woman’s life prior to her choosing to receive an assisted death. It was, however, pulled after news reports revealed that the protagonist had been vocal about the lack of support for her illness, and how this influenced her desire for an assisted death.

Gaëlle Hardy (director and writer), Agnès Lejeune (director and writer)

Marking almost twenty years since the introduction of euthanasia in Belgium, this documentary provides insights from the office of Dr Damas, a physician responsible for assisted dying in a Belgian public hospital.

Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

Donald Low, a Canadian physician and microbiologist, records a plea in favour of medical aid in dying after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Amanda Villegas

In this series of photographs, Amanda Villegas documents the final days in the life of her husband, Chris Davis, as he dies from bladder cancer. Although Chris wanted to access medical aid in dying, he was unable to do so because of misinformation and procedural requirements in California’s End of Life Option Act at the time of his death.

Matt Day (dir.)

In this short film, three adult siblings come together for their mother’s planned assisted death only to discover that she has changed her mind. A blackly comic look at the coercion that could emerge in assisted dying situations, made as Australia was beginning the legalisation process.

Eddy Terstall (director and writer)

Free-spirited Amsterdam resident Simon suffers from cancer and requests euthanasia, which is possible under Dutch law. The doctor complies with Simon’s request. The film represents euthanasia as one of the major achievements of a free and liberal society, with several progressive politicians citing it as a reflection of Dutch freedoms and values.

The Fifth Estate, CBC News

This documentary follows the final year in the life Gloria Taylor, a plaintiff in the court case that led to the legalization of medical assistance in dying in Canada. The film provides an overview of debates prior to legalization by documenting Gloria’s experience with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, her legal team’s approach, and the response of those who oppose her case.

Barry Levinson (director), Adam Mazer (writer)

‘You Don’t Know Jack’ recounts the period in Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s life between 1990 when he assisted in the death of Janet Adkins and 1998 when, after assisting in over 100 deaths, he was convicted of second-degree murder for assisting in the death of Thomas Youk. The film portrays the controversial Kevorkian in a very flattering light, as an underdog and hero, and, above all, a caring doctor.

Sophia (pseudonym)

In this video statement, Sophia describes her struggle to find suitable housing for her multiple chemical sensitivities shortly before her medically assisted death. The video became a touchstone in disability rights discourse for activists arguing that Canada’s medical assistance in dying regime lacks sufficient safeguards to protect vulnerable people.

Audrey Parker

In this video statement, Audrey Parker appeals to Canadians to have the MAID laws in place in 2018 changed. Parker felt that she was obliged to receive MAID earlier than necessary due to her fear that she would lose the ability to provide late-stage consent, one of the law’s original stipulations. Audrey’s Amendment was introduced in 2021 eliminating the requirement of late-stage consent.

Sue Rodriguez

In this videotaped address to Parliament, Sue Rodriguez, who was dying of ALS and wanted an assisted death, asks ‘If I cannot give consent to my own death […] who owns my life?’ While the Supreme Court of Canada heard her case in 1993 and ultimately decided against her, the publicization of Rodriguez’s story informed much public thinking about assisted dying laws in Canada.

Liz Carr (writer/presenter), James Routh (director)

This BBC documentary follows actor and disability campaigner Liz Carr as she explores reasons why assisted dying, which she calls assisted suicide, should not be legalised in the UK. It is unusual both for constituting a mainstream programme that openly opposes legalisation of assisted dying, and for doing so using humour.

Stéphane Brizé (director and writer), Florence Vignon (writer)

Following 18 months in prison, Alain goes to live with his elderly mother, who is living with cancer. Knowing that her cancer is progressing, Alain’s mother decides that she wants to end her life. Although he is initially sceptical, Alain decides to support her decision to end her life and travels with her to Switzerland, where their extremely tumultuous relationship is restored on her deathbed.

Stop eutanásia

Through succinct scenes and tableaux, this short film produced by the Portuguese anti-euthanasia group ‘Stop eutanásia’ casts euthanasia as the antithesis to hope, encouraging viewers to ‘say yes to life.’ It was circulated on social media amidst increasing debates in Portugal about legalizing euthanasia in 2021.

Roger Mitchell (director) & Christian Torpe (writer)

Lily, the matriarch of her family, is diagnosed with ALS and takes the decision to end her life with the help of her spouse, Paul. The film follows her as she invites her family for a final weekend together in their beach home, where the different ways in which the family members deal with Lily’s planned death are shown.

Mia Hansen-Løve

Sandra, a single mother of an eight-year-old daughter, accompanies her father through his care after being afflicted with a neurodegenerative disease. The film shows her father’s rapidly deteriorating state and the difficulties posed for the family as he ceases to recognize his family members or surroundings.

Denys Arcand (director and writer)

In the absence of adequate palliative pain relief and palliative care provision, Rémy begins taking heroin to combat his cancer-induced suffering. As his condition deteriorates, he decides that he wants to end his life. With the help of his family and friends, he is given an overdose of heroin and passes away peacefully with his family around him.

Jeremy Ervine (dir.)

After learning that his oesophageal cancer has spread to his lungs, petrol station chain CEO Peter Short becomes the face of an Australian Senate assisted dying bill. This crowd-funded documentary recounts his political campaign, and his (unassisted) death, featuring interviews from Short’s family alongside ones from politicians and activists from both sides of the Australian right-to-die debate.

Thea Sharrock (director), Jojo Moyes (writer)

Following a road traffic collision, Will Traynor is paralysed and in need of constant care. His parents employ a young woman, Louisa Clark, to care for their son and Will and Louisa strike up an unlikely friendship and, later, a romance. Despite Louisa’s efforts to persuade Will that his life is still worth living, he decides to travel to Switzerland to end his life.

Chie Hayakawa (director and writer), Jason Grey (writer)

In a dystopian scenario, the Japanese government initiates Plan 75, and all citizens over 75 are given the option to be euthanized in exchange for 100’000 Yen to alleviate the socio-economic burden from an ageing population. The film follows elders and administrators of Plan 75 as they go through the steps of offering and accepting the plan.

Sumira Roy (Director)

This quiet documentary displays the daily lives and material reality of octogenarian couple Narayan and Iravati Lavate who rose to prominence in 2018 for their plea to die by state-sanctioned euthanasia despite being physically and mentally healthy. The film humanizes Narayan and Iravati, showing the legal, societal and ethical resistance to their desire to “die with dignity.”

Ondi Timoner (director)

Ondi Timoner tells the story of her father, Eli Timoner, a former entrepreneur and founder of an airline, who chooses to end his life by medical assistance in dying under California’s End of Life Option Act.

Charlie Russell (director), Terry Pratchett (writer)

After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, renown author Terry Pratchett investigates in a television documentary the only assisted death option available to residents of the United Kingdom: travelling to Switzerland to seek the option through Dignitas.

City News

This documentary from City News follows the stories of Cheryl Romaire and Jennifer Monahan as they consider medical assistance in dying. Their stories occur against the backdrop of recent changes in Canadian law that expanded access to assisted death for non-terminal patients, like Cheryl and Jennifer, who live with conditions that cause them chronic pain but that are not terminal.

Jeremy Sims (director and writer), Reg Cribb (writer)

Loosely based on real events in the mid-1990s during a brief period when voluntary assisted dying was legal in Australia’s Northern Territory, this fiction film follows terminally ill taxi driver Rex as he drives 3,000km north to Darwin to try to become the first person in the world to die using an assisted dying machine.

Laura Hermanides (director and writer), Roelof Jan Minneboo (writer)

Rick has been suffering from severe psychological issues for twenty years. His persistent wish not to live any longer is acknowledged by a psychiatrist, who assists with his suicide. Rick is actively supported by his parents, who come to recognize the hopelessness of their son’s situation.

Alejandro Amenábar (director and writer), Mateo Gil (writer)

For almost thirty years, Ramón Sampedro has been paralysed from the neck down. Having had enough of his paraplegic state, Ramón decides that he wants to die and seeks the help of an assisted dying lobby group to generate support for his case. When all legal avenues fail, a small group of his friends help Ramón to end his life.

Daniel Posada (director and screenwriter), Ignacio del Moral (screenwriter)

The poet Carlos Framb wakes in a hospital bed, handcuffed and accused of homicide. He had attempted suicide after assisting his mother Luzmila Alzate to die, which he claims was an act of love. Inspired by Framb’s 2009 memoir by the same title, but with notable differences, this 2024 film turns a real story into a courtroom drama about the individual rights to death and to abortion.

Jessica Alva Piedra

Between 2019 and 2020, the Peruvian photographer Jessica Alva Piedra collaborated with the psychologist Ana Estrada to portray Estrada’s life with polymyositis and in palliative care. The resulting photos, a testimony to Estrada’s agency to represent her own body while advocating for the right to die, appeared in Estrada’s blog, in a photobook, and in media outlets around the world.