french ‘national treasure’ jean-luc godard passes away with assisted suicide
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director jean-luc godard, an icon of french new wave film who revolutionized popular 1960s cinema, has died, according to french media. he was 91. (gaetan bally/keystone via ap, file)
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content warning: this story contains references to suicide and suicidal ideation. if you are in need of support for yourself, a friend or a family member, talk suicide canada, formerly the canadian suicide prevention service helpline, offers support and can be reached at 1-833-456-4566 toll free, 24/7. or, connect via text at 45645, from 4 p.m. to midnight est.
legendary filmmaker jean-luc godard passed away tuesday at his home in rolle, switzerland through assisted suicide. he was 91.
godard’s edgy style has been credited with ushering in a new wave of cinema, pushing back against the entrenched method of classic, neat filmmaking in postwar france — and even hollywood. his movies favoured moving cameras, rough jump cuts, effortlessly cool characters and deep conversations.
godard had requested assisted suicide due to “multiple invalidating illnesses,” according to the bbc. the cinema legend wanted to die with dignity, and “that was exactly what he did,” patrick jeanneret, godard’s legal adviser, told the new york times.
“he could not live like you and me, so he decided with a great lucidity, as he had all his life, to say, ‘now, it’s enough,’” said jeanneret.
dignitaries and directors alike took to twitter to express sympathies.
“jean-luc godard, the most iconoclastic of new wave filmmakers, invented a resolutely modern, intensely free art. we have lost a national treasure, a man who had the vision of a genius,” french president emmanuel macron shared in a tweet (translated by the bbc.)
godard’s films were often political and did not shy away from controversy. his 1960 film le petit soldat (the little soldier), which depicted government-sanctioned torture, was banned until 1963. his unique approach to story-telling inspired many well-known hollywood directors, including martin scorsese and quentin tarentino. tarantino famously named his production company, a band apart, after godard’s 1964 film bande à part (a band of outsiders).
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“a film consists of a beginning, a middle and an end, though not necessarily in that order,” godard is famously quoted as saying about his approach to storytelling.
a photograph taken on september 13, 2022 shows flowers at the entrance of the house of late french-swiss film director jean-luc godard in rolle, western switzerland. (photo by fabrice coffrini/afp via getty images)
assisted suicide in canada: maid
medical assistance in dying (maid) was passed by canadian parliament in june 2016. in march 2021, the law was updated, removing the requirement that a person’s natural death be reasonably foreseeable to be eligible for maid.
under the legislation, physicians and, in certain provinces, nurse practitioners may provide maid, and can be assisted by pharmacists, family members, or other health-care practitioners. no one can be compelled to help with or provide maid.
to be eligible for maid, applicants must be eligible for health services funded by the federal government, be at least 18 years old, be deemed mentally competent and able to make health care decisions for themselves, and have a grievous and irremediable medical condition. although the condition does not need to be fatal to qualify for maid, patients must be in “an advanced state of decline that cannot be reversed,” and “experience unbearable physical or mental suffering from [the] illness, disease, disability or state of decline.”
mental illness is not considered an eligible medical condition for maid at this time. this ban is in effect until march 17, 2023, as governing bodies determine how maid can be provided to applicants.
visitors to canada are generally not eligible to receive maid. instead, the practice is reserved for permanent residents who qualify and contribute to the health care system. this is in contrast to switzerland, where the right-to-die movement also extends to non-citizens.
deep concerns of maid still remain
although right-to-die legislation has gained traction in the west in recent years, concerns about the practice remains.
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chief among the concerns is that maid will be disproportionally applicable to individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who previously may have had unequal access to medical treatments, physical and mental support, and who may be unable to cover significant costs associated with long-term or palliative care.
research from western university found that while a disproportionate number of individuals from socio-economic backgrounds applied for maid in london versus those from higher socio-economic backgrounds, roughly similar portions of applications were approved for each group at a population level.
however, faith in the maid process was rocked in spring of this year, when an ontario woman with severe chemical sensitivities chose medically-assisted death. in a video released after her death and in emails to friends, the woman — who asked to remain anonymous — said she turned to maid after she was unable to find affordable housing free of smoke and chemicals.
“if my death helps to show the government that those of us with mcs will keep on having maid if they don’t act soon, then i’m glad i could help someone else not have to suffer the way i have,” she wrote in an email to friends, according to ctv news.
emma jones is a multimedia editor with healthing. you can reach her at emjones@postmedia.com or on instagram and twitter @jonesyjourn.
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