EXIT, LE DROIT DE MOURIR
CH 2005 – Director: Fernand Melgar – Original language: French – Subtitles: German – Length: 75 min.
'I look like my 45 years, but I am not living that way', says a frail woman debilitated by late-stage Multiple Sclerosis. She is one of many people who turn to EXIT, a Swiss organization that quite legally provides suicide assistance. Switzerland is the only country in the world where this is possible.
For over 20 years a small group of volunteers has accompanied sick and handicapped people toward the death of their choice. The film shows how these escorts and the people they help tackle death head-on. They approach the subject not as a taboo or an unacceptable end, but as a release. Exit takes us up-close to their convictions and their doubts, intimately but never intrusive. It is a film about the love of life and a quintessential question of our existence: Is choosing our death not the ultimate form of freedom?
Award: Best Swiss Documentary 2006
German title: EXIT, das Recht zu sterben. Camera: Camille Cottagnoud, Stefan Bossert. Sound: Blaise Gabioud. Editing: Karine Sudan. Production: JMH Productions / Climage / TSR / SSR SRG. Producer: Florence Adam. Co-Producers: Climage TSR Télévision Suisse Romande SSR SRG Idée Suisse. International Sales: Doc & Co.
