Five Perspectives: A Film About Assisted Dying

What happens when someone you love wants to choose an assisted death?

Developed from research by Professor Nancy Preston and colleagues at the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster University, this 15-minute docu-drama explores different experiences of assisted dying through the stories of five people.

At the heart of the film is a person seeking an assisted death. Around them are four people whose lives and professional responsibilities are also profoundly affected: their wife, GP, palliative care nurse, and daughter.

Each character brings a different perspective, shaped by their own experiences, relationships and beliefs. Through their stories, the film explores the complexity of decision-making at the end of life and the different ways assisted dying can be understood and experienced.

The film does not set out to advocate either for or against assisted dying. Instead, it asks us to consider what assisted dying might mean for the person seeking it, for those who love them, and for the health professionals supporting them. It opens up questions around autonomy, care, love, responsibility, grief, professional ethics and the relationships that surround a person at the end of life.

The film has been screened at international palliative care conferences in Canada, Italy, the United States and the Netherlands, where it has been particularly well received, with health professionals expressing interest in using it as a training resource. It has also been screened for members of the public, opening up conversations beyond the healthcare setting.

Following the screening, Professor Sheila Payne, Professor of Palliative Care, will lead a Q&A and facilitated discussion. The conversation will explore the five characters and the different perspectives they bring to the story, giving audiences an opportunity to reflect, ask questions and consider their own responses to this complex subject.

Professor Nancy Preston is Associate Dean for Research and Co-Director of the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster University.