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Fantastic!

Absolutely Fantastic

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Extremis' handling of the subject of euthanasia is precise. It accurately shows the choices one's family would go through in this indescribably hard subject while also putting you in the mind of a family member. It is one of the few films that will derive an opinion from the view, regardless of their prejudice. My only criticism of the piece is that it overs no solution regardless of goal, which is not the fault of the filmmakers, rather the situation. In other words, perfect description of the global problem at hand.

OK, at first, I was gonna write "I have no words", but actually I have quite a few words.. This is by far the saddest, but also the most important documentary I've ever seen. I really appreciate good documentaries. After seeing this one, I just can't stop crying. This really got me thinking. 24 minutes of love, hope, pain and heartbreaking scenes. It's such an important topic. I believe and hope that this will help people see that life is fragile. This can happen to anyone. We need documentaries like this one.My thoughts go to all of the incredible persons in this project, and all of the people who goes trough the same.

There's probably no decision that's harder than the decision about the end of life - especially when you're in the position of having to make (or at least heavily influence) the decision. Most of us have probably at some point had to make that decision for a beloved pet, but we hope and we pray that we don't have to face the decision for a family member. But sometimes we do. People have a tendency not to just fall asleep and not wake up, or to simply die in an instant. People get sick - and then sicker, and sicker still. And somewhere along the way, the question comes up - how far should we go with this? If you've ever been in the position of having to face those questions (and I have been personally within my own family, and as a pastor I've stood with families who've been faced with this decision) then you'll certainly be moved by this short film, and by the situations depicted.This is a 24 minute short film that depicts these decisions being made in what seems to be an ICU in a major city. Doctors, nurses, families and patients all struggle together with the decision. Machines or no machines? Tubes or no tubes? Just how far do we go to keep a person alive who has no reasonable prospect for any significant recovery and when the quality of life has disappeared? It's a heart-wrenching decision for everyone, and that's one thing that becomes clear. Even the doctors - who surely have to do this a lot - are sometimes uncertain, and it's emotionally draining on them as well. Everyone wants and hopes for and prays for a miracle, but usually they don't come. If you've never been through this kind of situation and you want to get a glimpse of the sorts of things you struggle with, this is worth watching.The main weakness I saw here was that it was so short. We got no real depth into any of the patients. There was no chance to get to know them or their families. We could sympathize (and perhaps empathize, if you've been through this) with them, but although the situations are moving, there's no real emotional connection with the people involved. I almost had the sense that I was intruding into some place that I had no business being. I think if more of the backstories had been made known, that might not have been the case.Still, this is sobering and thought-provoking. As one of the people in the movie said, "everyone in this room is going to die one day." It's true. Everyone reading this review is going to die one day, and so is the person writing it. This certainly does make you cognizant of your own mortality and it leaves you hoping that you have an easier end than the patients depicted here. (7/10)

"Extremis" is a 24-minute documentary short from this year that managed to score some awards attention already. It was made by Oscar nominee Dan Krauss and takes a look at the professional lives of those who have to deal with extremely sick or even dying patients. I am not sure to what extent some of the scenes were staged in here or if it is tasteful to decide from the relatives of the dying that their suffering (the patients') is depicted in this documentary, but they need to decide for themselves. Euthanasia is also a subject here, but it is really more about living with the sick and trying to help them. This is the main message of this little movie. We also see the doctors' and nurses' emotional struggles because it is obviously a very tough job. This is all there is about this one here. It is nothing groundbreaking or something we really haven't seen before or it also does not teach anything new from the medical or sociological perspective, but it succeeds for what it is: the emotional approach. I recommend the watch. Thumsb up.