SXSW Review: ‘Other Side’ is an Affecting and Important Depiction of Death with Dignity

Death is something most people don’t want to face and rarely want to talk about in casual conversation. But there are those who don’t have a choice, aware that they have a terminal diagnosis and that, if they want to exert any sort of control over how they leave this world, they need to have difficult conversations with their loved ones about their wishes. Other Side is a heartfelt and vulnerable documentary about the process of preparing for a planned and purposeful death that examines the complex nature of Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) in present-day America.

Lynda Bluestein is diagnosed with terminal cancer, but because she lives in Connecticut, where MAID is not legal, she decides that she wants to travel to Vermont to end her life. That requires suing the state of Vermont with the help of the organization Compassion and Choices since, as someone who is not a resident of that state, she’s not technically eligible to utilize MAID there. After she wins that fight, she begins a process that includes talking with her family about what she wants and ensuring that she’s able to fulfill the legally mandated requirements of using MAID so that there are no issues with her plan and no potential culpability for those who will be with her at the end.

This film is both an intimate chronicle of one person’s final days and an important educational tool about MAID. The emphasis on the specifics of using it – namely that the person has to be able to take and swallow the medication by themselves and that only one pharmacy in Vermont can actually prescribe the it since it must be mixed at a compounding pharmacy – should allay some natural confusion people have between this process and the practice of euthanasia, which involves a medical professional taking action to end the life of a patient (and is not legal anywhere in the United States). It doesn’t answer every question, but the straightforward way in which everyone interviewed talks about their participation should make it clear that they know that they’re not doing anything that’s against the law.

Other Side, which gets its title from Lynda’s husband’s Paul repeatedly telling her that that’s where he’ll see her, is not a film for everyone. Witnessing someone die may be harrowing and difficult for some, and this film doesn’t offer any warnings about what audiences will see or try to hide any part of it. That transparency reflects Lynda’s wishes and her comfort with the fact that she’s able to die in a way that speaks to what she wants, having had the chance to say goodbye to the important people in her life and to be in control of how she ends her life. It’s a remarkable example that has the potential to inspire others to have conversations they’ve long been avoiding to plan for circumstances they may not be able to anticipate, which are much more easily considered and discussed long before a moment of crisis.

Filmmakers Heather Hogan and Carter Oakley bring a sensitivity to the way they craft this film, focused tightly on their protagonist and those in her orbit, making sure to include just enough factual information for audiences to connect with pieces they may not understand and remain invested in the journey of this woman who knows that her life will soon end regardless of what she does. They don’t pull away from her family as they experience devastation in the wake of her loss, affirming their commitment to this woman’s trailblazing story and the overall power of deciding to die with dignity and exert some control over an inevitability that doesn’t have to be quite as difficult or enduringly painful for those left behind.

Movie Rating: 8/10