“Other Side” Documents Woman’s Fight To Die As She Wishes

When it comes to our wishes for how we die, most of us want three things: to die in our homes with loved ones around us, and with as little pain as possible. But many people don’t have that kind of death, particularly those that are terminally ill.

Not so for Lynda Bluestein. In “Other Side,” a deeply moving documentary by New York-based filmmakers Carter Oakley and Heather Hogan, we see Bluestein’s courageous journey as she fights for the right to end her life when and how she chooses.

Lynda Bluestein’s resolves to fight the courts of Vermont determined to win her right as a nonresident for medical aid in dying
Credit: Heather Hogan and Carter Oakley

As the film lays out, Bluestein was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2019 and was determined to overcome it. But when she found out two years later that she had late-stage cancer of her fallopian tubes, she knew it was a death sentence. Her home state of Connecticut did not allow for medical aid in dying, but nearby Vermont did, thanks to the state’s Act 39 — the Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life law. A long-time activist, Bluestein took the state of Vermont to court to give nonresidents the right to come to the state for medical aid in dying. Her fight led to a legal victory, allowing her access to medical aid in dying.

The documentary does not simply chronicle her legal success; it paints a portrait of a mother, activist and human being grappling with the weight of her decision alongside her loved ones —husband of 42 years, Paul, and her son, Jacob, and daughter, Amy.

“Other Side” is remarkable in its ability to balance the heavy subject matter with tenderness and sincerity. Oakley and Hogan’s approach — shaped by personal experiences with loss and Hogan’s work as a death doula — ensures that the film never veers into the overly sentimental or the unbearably tragic. Instead, it offers a cinematic meditation on mortality, framed with imagery that softens the stark reality of death.

Lynda Bluestein’s determination to die on her own terms
gathers national media attention
Credit: Heather Hogan and Carter Oakley

Bluestein’s determination and strength almost get in the way of her death plan. As her son says in the film, her strength was working against her. The rules of Act 39 require her to be able to swallow and administer the drugs to herself. She tells the filmmakers of her hope to make it until Feb. 2, Groundhog Day. But her condition rapidly declines, and she ends up turning to a home hospice provider, Bill Kilgour, in January 2024. Despite being weak and in pain, she is able to give herself the necessary medications, and she dies quickly and peacefully surrounded by her family, as she wanted.

The power of “Other Side” lies in the access that Bluestein and her family allowed the filmmakers, letting viewers witness her final year with extraordinary intimacy. Through candid conversations, quiet moments of reflection, and the raw emotional exchanges with family and friends, “Other Side” becomes more than just a film about assisted dying — it is an exploration of how we define a good death and what it means to truly live.

Life and death are inseparable, yet few of us are given the opportunity to shape our final moments. In fact, 74% of Americans support the option of medical aid in dying, according to a 2020 Gallup Poll. Since 2023, bills to authorize medical aid in dying have been introduced in 17 states, including Connecticut. As the conversation about medical aid in dying continues to evolve, “Other Side” stands as a significant and timely contribution, and a testament to resilience, love and the power of choice. By presenting Bluestein’s journey with compassion and dignity, Oakley and Hogan invite us to consider what we might want for ourselves when faced with the inevitable.

The film premieres at the 2025 South by Southwest film festival.