“Departing: Death and the Art of Dying” by Miko Nincic

Credit: amazon.com

Anyone who follows us at SevenPonds knows that ideas, conversations and beliefs about death and dying are multi-faceted. There’s so much to discuss regarding the wide range of topics. Sometimes it helps to have a primer for most of those issues in one place. “Departing: Death and the Art of Dying” is a straightforward, introductory documentary that serves this purpose well.

The film was written, filmed and directed by Miko Nincic, who is part of the small Melibe film production company. It’s clear from the beginning that it is a small-scale production, and Miko serves as the narrator. “Departing” features many interviews with a wide range of people, from funeral home employees to a cryopreservation company CEO, to hospice workers and spiritual leaders as well as ordinary people talking about their experiences with death.

“Departing” does not focus on one particular facet of the death and dying conversation. Rather, the film touches on most of the matters that seem to permeate many Americans’ experiences with the idea of death. The film offers a wide variety of viewpoints, giving equal representation to differing views of an issue.

Right to Die

One of the issues discussed in “Departing” is the idea of a terminally ill patient’s right to die, a topic we’ve touched on a lot at SevenPonds. The individual story highlighted in the film revolves around one man who lobbied to help California’s “End of Life Option Act” pass.

The issue of the right to die is discussed in
“Departing: Death and the Art of Dying”
Credit: huffpost.com

The man, himself a physician, describes his adult daughter’s struggle with cancer. His daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at 7 years old but managed to live into her mid-20’s. But by the time she neared the end of her life, her quality of life was poor. She’d gone blind, and her cancer had spread into three different areas of her body.

Still of sound mind and mentally competent, she eventually decided that she wanted to end her life as the cancer had become so advanced. At the time, however, California’s law was not yet on the books so she was unable to make that choice. The physician interviewed in “Departing” became involved in lobbying efforts to get the law passed because of his daughter’s experience.

A Mix of Personal Experiences

“Departing: Death and the Art of Dying” features interviews with people from a variety of professions related to death. Still, the more moving aspects of the film come from stories about ordinary people and their experiences with the deaths of loved ones.

Ken Baldwin survives a jump
Credit: ACB7 News

Though not explicitly about death, perhaps the most emotionally moving story chronicles one man’s experience with deep depression and his experience jumping off the Golden Gate bridge.

Miraculously, Ken Baldwin survived his attempted suicide. As he recounts in “Departing,” as soon as he was over the edge, he knew he made the wrong decision. Thoughts and images of his family came to his head, and he felt instant regret. Luckily for him, he survived. He never attempted suicide again. His story is obviously very emotional and adds an extra layer of poignancy to the documentary.

“Departing: Death and the Art of Dying” is a multi-faceted documentary that explores different beliefs about death, including ideas about the afterlife, and how we view and deal with dying in the United States. I’d recommend the film to anyone interested in the topic.