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But while several European nations defend this course of action within strict limits, on this shore – where even the right of pregnant people to abortion provokes irrational reactions from religious sectors of the population – the subject remains contentious. Only 11 states in this country allow what is known as “medical assistance in dying.”
However, Timoner does not engage in any ideological debate about the morality of her elderly father’s chosen passage to the afterlife. Instead, she illustrates the value of people having this resource through her family’s first-hand experience. For her, the topic went from a theoretical talking point to a hard-to-face reality. Yet the lack of broad context on the matter ends up being a missed opportunity to inform.
After Eli, bedridden and requiring round-the-clock care, demands that the countdown to his death begin with an initial medical evaluation, he never changes his mind. The final 15 days leading up to the event provide Last Flight Home with a built-in structure to which the director attaches numerous interviews with her siblings: Rachel, Rabbi and David; as well as their mother Lucy at various stages of the ordeal of facing mortality.
As clear as the idea of the project is, the assemblage of interviews, minimal archival elements and footage of Eli from Timoner tends to be disjointed by unflattering editing choices – particularly the transitions between each of the days we witness, and even within each of the segments of a day. The overall aesthetic of this effort is closer to that of an episodic reality TV series than inventive storytelling.
It is only after we are introduced to the nuclear family, a third into this expressly limited story, that Timoner shares details of Eli’s stroke in 1982, which left him partially paralyzed for the next 40 years, and of his once successful professional career as a senior in the now defunct airline Air Florida. But the majority of images immortalize Eli as he lovingly and clearly interacts with in-person visitors and loved ones via Zoom to say goodbye despite his weakened condition.
Beyond the impressive number of encounters, the warmth and sincerity in all of them—including longtime friends and former employees—is what conveys the kindness that characterizes Ellie. It can seem like there’s a comforting luxury in knowing when your last day will be, because it allows time for making amends and unhurried goodbyes.
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