The Farewell Party

It might seem odd to call a movie about euthanasia charming, but filmmakers Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit's Israeli comedy-drama, which blends poignancy with some sharp humor, merits that description. Yehezkel (Ze'ev Revach) lives with his wife Levana (Levana Finkelstein) in a Jerusalem retirement home, spending much of his time bucking up the spirits of other residents, especially those who are terminally ill. When one of them asks for help in ending his life, Yehezkel works with another resident, a retired veterinarian, to construct a “mercy killing” machine that—like Dr. Kevorkian's famous apparatus—will allow the patient to press the button himself. When news of what happened spreads, others plead for help as well. Levana is opposed, calling Yehezkel's actions nothing short of murder, but when she begins suffering the effects of early-stage Alzheimer's, she has a change of heart. While the film has some jokey moments—including a gay man who is literally found hiding in a closet, and repeated encounters with a traffic cop who is always dissuaded from giving an old man a ticket—the real linchpin here is the deep bond between Yehezkel and Levana, one that ultimately personalizes the debate over the ethics of assisted suicide and the right to die with dignity. The Farewell Party seriously confronts end-of-life issues, but it does so with a disarming geniality—even going so far as to include a surrealistic musical sequence. Recommended. (F. Swietek)