Euthanasia in Film: You Don't Know Jack

You Don't Know Jack is a look at the life and work of suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian.
Directed by Barry Levinson

Ever since The Godfather, Pacino has continually impressed us with his ability to transform himself into his characters. He just gets it. He gets into their mind - understanding their psychology and all their psychoses - and in doing so allows his physicality to undergo an entire transformation. We saw it with Corleone, with Sonny from Dog Day Afternoon, when he became Tony Montana, in Scent of a Woman to name but a sweet few. Al Pacino is a chameleon.

However, and maybe because we rarely see Pacino playing a known, real life character, we are yet to see him BECOME someone as adeptly as he has become Jack Kevorkian.

OBVIOUSLY I'm fascinated.

Euthanasia in Film: A Happy Ending

A Happy Ending
Writer/Director: Ross Hockrow

As a result of frequent forwarded groups on Facebook, I've learnt about an upcoming feature film of interest to us. I usually read the synopsis of a film because it's short and easy to do (I'm a film buff) and upon doing this realized that this film has a subject matter which is extremely similar to the topics discussed within this blog.

I think it's important that the performing arts take interest in the subject of euthanasia and it's my feeling that the topic itself has nearly been forbidden from public discussion. I applaud the efforts of young artists who have the courage and the confidence to challenge people's seemingly stubborn opinions on the matter.

I copied and pasted the synopsis:

"A Happy Ending" is a modern day Romeo and Juliet. This tragic, intense love story is centered around a young group of friends caught in the tangled web of an epidemic. "Jeremy" a young neuroscientist invents a new drug that gives a person 24 hours of absolute euphoria, enlightenment, and happiness, then you fall peacefully asleep for the final time. He invents this for people suffering on their death bed to give them a better transition into death. Jeremy knows this isn't going to be approved by the FDA so he involves his life long friend Jordan to help him sell it on the black market. They use doctors with the same ideologies as themselves to push the drug into the terminal wing of NYC medical center. After an entire floor of patients take their lives on the same night a media frenzy breaks out causing a serious FBI investigation. The pressure of the investigation causes Jeremy and Jordan to make rash decisions. Jordan's, get rich quick scheme, quickly turns into saving the love of his life at all costs, and Jeremy decides the only way out of trouble is to finish what he started. A revolution! This emotional thrill ride will keep you guessing until the credits roll. You just have to ask yourself one question, when your life comes to an end...don't you want "A Happy Ending?"

I'm gonna keep an eye on this one...

DON'T GIVE ME THE 99.9% ARGUMENT...

So in recent past arguments or debates over euthanasia people always ask me, "what if someone decides to pull the plug that could have made it through? Then it doesn't work, right?" Well my obvious answer to you is, if you pull the plug, then it's your plug to pull. But to brin telling g it to a more debatable and relatable topic, lets talk about the death penalty. That same dumb argument that if you execute one innocent man, then the system is broken. Well my response to you is this.... that's pretty stupid! So wait a second, you're me, if out of every 100 people that are executed, 99 of them are guilty, then the system is broken? That makes no sense. That seems like a pretty good statistic if you ask me... or Las Vegas. Name one thing in this world that is 100%? Thinking...thinking...thinking.... Okay you have nothing.

So bringing the point home, if one person decides they can't win their fight with whatever cancer they may have, and they are wrong, then so be it. The question is, if euthanasia is legal, then where is the line? What ground rules do you lay? This is pretty simple. You choose. Your life, your plug. If you're wrong you have no one to blame.

Then we can come to the question of how you determine when you're right and wrong? You don't. Thats silly. Just be a grown up, make a choice, and live...or die... by that choice. We make these choices every day of our lives. There's a risk vs. reward for everything you do. Remember that when you tell that dying woman who's been coughing up blood for the past week that, "sorry, not yet. Keep truckin along here."

"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero."

Who is Dr. Philip Nitschke?

Dr. Philip Nitschke is an Australian doctor, humanist and the founder of Exit International, the pro-euthanasia group.

He successfully campaigned to have a legal euthanasia law passed in Australia's Northern Territory and assisted four people in ending their lives before the law was overturned by the Federal government. Nitschke was the first doctor in the world to administer a legal, voluntary, lethal injection.

Famously said: " "It seems we demand humans to live with indignity, pain and anguish whereas we are kinder to our pets when their suffering becomes too much."

In July, 2009, Nitschke said he no longer believed voluntary euthanasia should only be available to the terminally ill, but that elderly people afraid of getting old and incapacitated should also have a choice.

Awards and recognition:

- In 1996, Nitschke received the Rainier Foundation Humanitarian Award
- In 1998, Nitschke was recognised as the Australian Humanist of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies.
- He has twice been a finalist for Australian of the Year (2005 & 2006).

Source: Wikipedia

Who is Jack Kevorkian?

A right to die activist, most noted for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide; he claims to have assisted at least 130 patients to that end. In each of the cases, the individuals themselves allegedly took the final action which resulted in their own deaths. Kevorkian allegedly assisted only by attaching the individual to a euthanasia device that he had made. The individual then pushed a button which released the drugs or chemicals that would end his or her own life.

Kevorkian was tried numerous times for assisting suicides.Between 1999 and 2007, Kevorkian served eight years of a 10-to-25-year prison sentence for second-degree murder.

Famously quoted "dying is not a crime."

Kevorkian has appeared on several shows and has had cultural references made to him in many sitcoms and movies.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1535170/

Euthanasia in Film: Mar adentro

Life story of Spaniard Ramón Sampedro, who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. Film explores Ramón's relationships with two women: Julia, a lawyer who supports his cause, and Rosa, a local woman who wants to convince him that life is worth living. Through the gift of his love, these two women are inspired to accomplish things they never previously thought possible. Despite his wish to die, Ramón taught everyone he encountered the meaning, value and preciousness of life. Though he could not move himself, he had an uncanny ability to move others. Written by Sujit R. Varma

In Spain, the former sailor Ramón Sampedro has been quadriplegic for twenty-eight years and is fighting in court for his right of practicing euthanasia through an association that defends the freedom of choice and leaded by his friend Gené. Ramón is introduced to the lawyer that is defending his cause, Julia, who has a degenerative fatal disease; and meets Rosa, a lonely worker that has been abused by men. Their relationship changes the behavior and viewpoint of life of Rosa and Julia.

Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(IMDb.com)

Euthanasia in Film: Million Dollar Baby

Hillary Swank's character, Maggie, is a white trash 31 year old waitress in a diner who decides to pursue her dream of becoming a boxer. Clint Eastwood plays Frankie, who trains and later falls in love with Maggie.

The last 1/4 of the movie is about euthanasia and human morals - Maggie is bed ridden for a long time and eventually has to have her leg amputated due to muscle atrophy and bed sores. She asks Frankie for a favor. She asks if he remembers the story she told him about her father and their dog. She no longer wants to live. She had her shot and wants to die remembering the crowd cheering her name. Frankie refuses.

Later Frankie is awoken in the middle of the night. Maggie has bitten her tongue, hoping to bleed to death. The doctors save her and stitch her tongue back up. She rips the stitches out and tries it again. This time they cover her tongue so she can't get to it.

Frankie now realizes how badly she wants to die and contemplates "slowly killing" her by letting her live or end her life while she is "living." Scrap tells him that most people die wondering "what if" and never having a chance at anything. He tells him that at least Maggie had her shot of a lifetime and is thinking "maybe I did alright."

Frankie decides to fulfill her wishes and end her life. He walks into her room, unnoticed. He tells her what he's going to do and she can only smile. He tells her that the Gaelic phrase the crowds were chanting and on her robe meant "My Darling". He removes her breathing tube and injects her with adrenaline. She dies instantly.

(IMDb.com)