Most Americans have a special way of discussing issues of death and end of life: they don’t. In this new documentary series by filmmaker and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (Contagion), five terminally ill people break that silence, offering testimonies about life, faith, love, and fear from a place where death is imminent. At the time of filming, all five individuals were living in Washington State, where it is legal for terminally ill patients to have physicians end their lives under the state’s Death with Dignity Act. But being empowered to make that decision doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any easier to adjust, as one interviewee says, “to living without a future.” These intimate and devastating video portraits reveal that preparing to die isn’t just about saying goodbye; it’s also about getting used to moving through the world without future plans, deepening your appreciation of everyday life, and realizing what it truly means to love other people.
