How to Die in Oregon

Peter Richardson's 2011 documentary covers the physician-assisted death law in force in Oregon. The state was the first in America to make the practice legal; the documentary stays beside those who make the decision, their families and their doctors. One particular patient is at the centre. A woman whose cancer treatment has run out describes the process from beginning to end; she decides herself when to act on her choice, and the camera records it. The documentary argues no thesis. People opposed also speak, and the campaign to extend the law appears alongside the families who resist it. Richardson does not comment; he leaves the duration and the silence. Who it's for: those who can watch documentaries on medical ethics and end-of-life decisions. Who it's not for: viewers who do not want to witness a death; the film shows it directly.