assisted suicide – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

LAST FLIGHT HOME – Review by Lois Alter Mark

January 11, 2023January 12, 2023 Lois Alter Mark assisted suicide, documentaries, Eli Timoner, Last Flight Home, ondi timoner

Last Flight Home is a moving documentary about a family helping their elderly patriarch fulfill his wish to die. It’s so intimate, you’ll feel privileged to have been allowed access to their remarkable journey. 92-year-old Eli Timoner was the founder of Air Florida, whose company slogan was “Fly a little kinder.” A philanthropist and seemingly all-around good guy, he experienced a stroke in 1982 that left one side paralyzed. After 40 years of living that way, he was determined to end his suffering by invoking California’s End of Life Act.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK Nov 25, 2022: LAST FLIGHT HOME

November 20, 2022November 28, 2022 Jennifer Merin assisted suicide, Cate Marquis, documentaries, Eli Timoner, jennifer merin, Last Flight Home, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, ondi timoner, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, susan wloszczyna

Documentaries don’t get much more intimate than Ondi Timoner’s deeply personal Last Flight Home, which captures the last few weeks of her father Eli’s life before he chooses to end it through physician-assisted suicide. As Eli’s family gathers to bid him farewell and help each other through this heartwrenching transition, they celebrate his memorable life and their enduring love for him, as well as wrestle with their feelings about the decision he’s made.

Reviews

LAST FLIGHT HOME – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

November 17, 2022January 11, 2023 Susan Wloszczyna assisted suicide, documentaries, Eli Timoner, Last Flight Home, motw, Movie of the Week, ondi timoner

Ondi Timoner’s highly personal, profoundly bittersweet, and somewhat disquieting documentary Last Flight Home, having agency over one’s final departure isn’t exclusively reserved for those existing in conflict with the status quo. Her father, Eli Timoner’s, was resolute on exercising California’s End of Life Option Act—only available to terminally ill adults. While several European nations protect this course of action within stringent limitations, just 11 states in the United States permit what’s known as medical aid in dying. As a director, Timoner doesn’t take up any debate over her father wanting to control his final days.

Reviews

LAST FLIGHT HOME – Review by Liz Whittemore

November 17, 2022January 11, 2023 Liz Whittemore assisted suicide, documentaries, Eli Timoner, Last Flight Home, motw, Movie of the Week, ondi timoner

Director Ondi Timoner captures her father Eli Timoner’s final wish; to end his life on his terms. Eli spent his life as a hugely successful entrepreneur and creator of Air Florida until a stroke and subsequent accident paralyzed him, and the board pushed him into early retirement. After forty years of struggling and pain, Eli expresses his desire to die.