Suicide Tourist

In 1981,in "whose life is it anyway? " ,Richard Dreyfuss ,paralysed after a car crash ,asked for the right to die :as he was in a hospital ,it was not easy .

In Europa, some movies about assisted suicide were made in France ("quelques heures de Printemps" )and in Germany (und Morgen Mittag ,bin ich tot" ) but as it is illegal in both countries, death took place in Switzerland .Hollywood did not want to be outdone by Europa and thus produced "blackbird" ,which,although featuring Susan Sarandon as the strong lead, the movie verged on soap opera.

"Selvmordsturisten" is the most ambitious of the lot ,but is it the best for all that? I have my doubts .Euthanasia is a grave concern which involves all of us ,and someone who tells he will never resort to it is, either a saint ,or a liar.

Whereas the other movies dealing with the subject were given realistic treatments, linear narration , "selvmordsturisten " is much less accessible ,and might put off some viewers ;the lead gives a restrained but effective performance ;the cinematography is brilliant ,particularly in the mountain ; the Aurora (the name of which is rather wry ,for Aurora means more dusk than dawn) is a spooky place : its futuristic look is close to sci-fi ,and its rules are ruthless. Why English is used there whereas outside the first language remains is curious: is it because the place is international , euthanasia being illegal in the great majority of the world, so many "clients " come from other countries ?:this is not specified ; people about to commit assisted suicide would rather talk in their first language. This is a place ,unlike the German and French efforts you are not supposed to change your mind

That said, the movie is off the beaten track ,and one feels the unfortunate hero's fear and misgivings, his escape in the icy areas becomes a transparent metaphor : you will never run as fast as time and death will find you wherever you are.

,,, it's just that it is sooo slow. It's an expansion on what Sol goes through in his last moments of life, when he decides to check out, in Soylent Green, with a dash of Carousel and wanting more life, like the runners in Logans' Run,,, and a dash of Roy Batty from Blade Runner added into the script. Yep, his brain tumor might explain some of the more disturbing occurences and you have to question what version of reality is transpiring. It IS disturbing to think that this might be the way our lives end up. We all want to die peacefully in out sleep with out boots on, but, we can see right now that this will not be the case for many people. This film is going to make a lot more people think about that possibility.

Objectively speaking, this movie reminds us the moment when it goes to the end how will that be. It's depressing when watch this and the mysterious parts not really the highlights. Be grateful having healthy body seems what the movie try to express more.

This film blesses the art of cinema with script, editing, cinematography, carefully selected plans, reasonable musical accompaniment, no chattering lines, and great actings. Film's poetic narrative allowing to make completely different inferences by recalling the viewer memory in every different plan, whose location is changed in fiction. For a long time I have not witnessed such a qualified and well-designed storytelling. Spectacular!

Kinda claustrophobic, mesmirizing start, but later on this movie looses some of it's mystery and with it some of it's spark.

The story is in essence quite dark and depressing, because we see how a man is slowly loosing grip on life after he has been diagnosed with a terminal disease.

However depressing in nature the subject of this story about dying might be, it is photographed in a tranquil, peaceful way and the acting is true to life and touching to watch.

Not for those who want to see a cheery picture, but for those who can stumach a true slowburning drama about how to deal with knowing that you are about to die soon...