Facing Death

Living alone near Phoenix, AZ, in a peaceful desert setting that recalls the art of Georgia O'Keefe, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross--one of the world's foremost authorities on death and dying--is now disabled by a series of strokes and her own death appears to be just around the corner. In Stefan Haupt's dignified documentary tribute to Kübler-Ross and her legacy, the renowned author of On Death and Dying--published in 1969 and now considered essential reading in hospitals and medical schools around the world--appears frail and tired, but her indomitable spirit is clearly evident. Born in Zurich in 1926 as a two-pound triplet, Kübler-Ross seemed predestined to minister to the dying: compassionate from an early age, she was determined to become a doctor, struggled for recognition as a psychiatrist in the U.S., and eventually achieved international fame for her groundbreaking book and pioneering workshops with dying patients, first in Chicago and later at a controversial healing center in Virginia (destroyed by arsonists in 1994). Facing Death serves as both a concise biography and a compelling forum for Kübler-Ross's discussion of her work, bolstered by numerous interviews with close friends, colleagues, and the author's siblings (one of whom has since died). Never morbid or depressing, the film projects just the opposite sense: with "no doubt whatsoever" that death is merely a transition point to a higher level of being, Kübler-Ross appears to welcome her inevitable passing, when she will at last be able to "dance among the galaxies." Despite occasionally hard-to-read subtitles, this is a powerful and thoughtful film. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)