The Blog
Saw a fascinating documentary at NYFA last night – Kevorkian – presented by director Matthew Galkin. The film tells the story of Dr. Jack Kevorkian whose participation in at least 130 assisted suicides earned him the nickname “Dr. Death”. His controversial right-do-die philosophy resulted in a 8-year prison sentence for the doctor (watch the “60 Minutes” interview which caused a national outcry and resulted in his imprisonment). Upon his release in 2007 he ran for congress arguing that euthanasia is a human right and “the medical profession must accept its responsibilities, and those responsibilities include assisting their patients with death”.
The film is a portrait of a most complex man whose compassion and vision has largely been misunderstood. In 2010 the role of Kevorkian was played by Al Pacino in “You don’t know Jack” but despite Pacino being one of the greatest I strongly recommend the real-life version.
