Whenthefilmbegins,itisallover.“Weknowit’sterminal,andthat’sall”,saysJulianeofhermotherKerstin,whoisingreatpainandabouttodieagedjust64.Althoughtheyoungdoctorsheconsultsacknowledgesonapersonallevelthateveryonehastherighttomanagetheirowndeath,henonethelessremindsherthateuthanasiaisstillillegalinGermany.ThisisevenmorethecaseattheCatholichospicewhereKerstinisstaying.Asrelativescometosaygoodbyetohermotherandtheemotionsofmemoriesminglewiththeanticipationofgrief,Julianefindsherselfhavingtodobattlewithtime–unbending,apatheticandmonochrome–andthisissuperblyreflectedintheconvulsionsofthehandheldcamerainwideshots.Basedonpersonalexperience,JessicaKrummacher’ssecondfeaturefilmvividlyrelatesthepainfulstoryoflosingaparent.Thereisnoviolenceormorbidity,ratherthedirectordescribesthemostimportantofeventsviathesmallest,mostfragileofdetails–theexchangingofwords,textsandtendergesturesthatremainwithusandgetunderourskin.
