One of the more tough documentary experiences at this year’s South By Southwest Film & TV Festival is the new documentary OTHER SIDE by filmmakers Heather Hogan and Carter Oakley which did have quite a bit of discussion from all of the festivalgoers who saw it.
About: This is a story about choice, not death. Lynda Bluestein would not take ‘no’ for an answer. Because Medical Aid in Dying is not legal in Connecticut, Lynda is forced to find another way to die peacefully. This is an intimate and gripping look into what it takes to legally die on one’s own terms in the United States. Other Side delves into the systemic, familial and emotional complexities of navigating an untrodden medical landscape while terminally ill.
Reaction: The subject of medical assisted dying is a VERY touch subject and the genius of OTHER SIDE is that it follows one truly remarkable woman named Lynda Bluestein who has so much extreme confidence with her terminal illness, and the process she is going through for medical assisted dying. This may be a very hard movie to watch for some, and it also reminded me of one of the subject of Laura Adkin’s movie RE: UNITING from a few years ago, as that movie was also set in my home of British Columbia in Canada where this process is controversial but is available to people. There is also a documentary from many years ago called HOW TO DIE IN OREGON but OTHER SIDE takes a very different approach with its lead subject, and filmmakers Heather Hogan and Carter Oakley took great care in showing quite a few sides of this discussion, and I also loved just how well produced and filmed this is with a widescreen look. OTHER SIDE makes for a very cinematic presentation that would look great on any big screen, despite the somewhat hard to watch subject that I know many upset some viewers. But if you are willing to go with it, it can be very rewarding.
This is one of the many movies playing in this year’s South By Southwest Film & TV Festival. For more information on the festival, point your browser to www.sxsw.com!