How to Die in Oregon explained

How to Die in Oregon
Director:Peter Richardson
Producer:Peter Betty
Starring:Cody Curtis
Music:Max Richter
Distributor:Clearcut Productions
Runtime:107 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:$750,000[1]

How to Die in Oregon is a 2011 American documentary film produced and directed by Peter Richardson. It is set in the U.S. state of Oregon and covers the state's Death with Dignity Act that allows terminally ill patients to self-administer barbiturates prescribed by their physician to end their own life, referred to as assisted suicide by opponents and medical aid in dying by proponents.

Richardson spent nearly a year with 54-year-old Cody Curtis, an OHSU faculty member with liver cancer, as she grappled with the decision or not to take a lethal dose of a barbiturate.[2]

Release

The film was released in January 2011 at the 27th Sundance Film Festival and began airing on HBO later in the year.[3] Peter Richardson, a native Oregonian, got the idea to produce the film as the state's law was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in the 2006 case Gonzales v. Oregon.

Critical reception

How to Die in Oregon was well received by critics, currently holding a 100% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews.[4]

The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentaries at the 27th Sundance Film Festival.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Unflinching End-of-Life Moments . Barnes . Brook . The New York Times. 2011-01-24. 2011-01-30.
  2. Web site: February 16, 2011 . Peter D. Richardson . 2021-12-27 . Willamette Week . en.
  3. Web site: Lowe, Justin . Justin . 2011-01-27 . HBO documentary probes Oregon's euthanasia law . 2011-01-30 . Reuters.
  4. Web site: How to Die in Oregon . March 9, 2024 . Rotten Tomatoes.
  5. Web site: Levy . Shawn . 2011-01-30 . 'How to Die in Oregon' takes top documentary prize at Sundance . 2011-01-30 . The Oregonian.
  6. Web site: Fowler . Brandi . 2011-01-29 . Sundance Goes Wild for Like Crazy; How to Die in Oregon Nabs Top Honors . 2011-01-30 . E! Online.