Life After - Don Bernier
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Life After

“Among the most surprising, insightful, moving, and politically far-reaching documentaries I’ve seen in a long while.”
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker

 

“Passionate and persuasive… challenges an able-bodied audience’s preconceptions about the lives of disabled people, as well as upends the expectations of how documentaries are supposed to unfold.”
— Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire

 

“An engrossing, moving and most importantly confrontational movie about the right to die and disability justice.”
— Murtada Elfadl, Variety

 

“Elegantly edited by Don Bernier… If we believe in a right to die, Life After asserts that we should also believe in a right to live.”
— Allan Hunter, Screen Daily

 

“Deeply moving… its keen, structural analysis of our presumptions about what a good life looks like—and who can have it—implicates us all.”
— Devika Girish, Film Comment

Synopsis

In 1983, a disabled Californian woman named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the “right to die,” igniting a national debate about autonomy, dignity, and the value of disabled lives. After years of courtroom trials, Bouvia disappeared from public view. Disabled director Reid Davenport investigates what happened to Bouvia and her story’s disturbing relevance today. In a society where ableism and poor healthcare can limit options, the autonomy of a disabled individual is often compromised. Life After demonstrates how assisted dying may not represent choice when oftentimes it is seen as the only option. The film made its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition where it received a Special Jury Award. Produced by Multitude Films. A co-production of ITVS.

Official Website

Year

2025

Director

Reid Davenport

Editor

Don Bernier

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