With good-natured humor and generosity of spirit, filmmaker Susan Stern's The Self-Made Man tells the story of her father, Bob, a solar-energy pioneer and successful entrepreneur who was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 77 and, rather than endure the rigors of chemotherapy and continuing illness, chose to take his own life. What makes Stern's film uniquely instructive and illuminating is the fact that Bob's illness was not necessarily terminal: his decision was based on personal reflection, a stubborn desire to live life at its fullest potential, and a rather brazen defiance of his family's efforts to talk him out of suicide. Stern draws on a wealth of family photos and high-quality home movie footage to create an all-American portrait of a hardworking patriarch who outlines his decision in a videotaped testimony—essentially a living will—that serves as the film's narrative framework, while comments from surviving family members (whose emotions run the gamut—anger, denial, acceptance, etc.) are woven throughout. Originally broadcast on PBS's P.O.V. series, The Self-Made Man is an admirable film that smartly tackles right-to-die issues that don't lend themselves to easy answers. DVD extras include commentary by and a bonus interview with Stern. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)
The Self-Made Man
(2005) 57 min. VHS or DVD: individuals: $29.95; institutions: $250 (w/PPR). Bernal Beach Films (dist. by New Day Films). Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-57448-123-1 (vhs), 1-57448-124-X (dvd). Volume 21, Issue 1
The Self-Made Man
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