Life After

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2:23

Life After

2025

1h 39m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

100%

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31 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In 1983, a disabled Californian woman named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the "right to die," igniting a national debate about autonomy, dignity, and the value of disabled lives. After years of courtroom trials, Bouvia disappeared from public view. Disabled director Reid Davenport narrates this investigation of what happened to Bouvia and her story's relevance today. LIFE AFTER coalesces the missing voices of the disability community in the contemporary debate about assisted dying. Davenport looks at the ways that disabled people have and continue to die prematurely--whether murdered by a hospital in the case of Michael Hickson in Texas, or with the support of parents and community in the case of Wisconsin teen Jerika Bolen. Davenport's exploration brings him to Canada, where safeguards have been lifted to allow disabled people unprecedented access to Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), even if their deaths are not reasonably foreseeable. In Ontario, Davenport interviews disabled computer programmer Michal Kaliszan, who contemplated MAID when his only alternative was entering an institution. In a society where ableism and poor healthcare can limit options, the autonomy of a disabled individual is often compromised. LIFE AFTER demonstrates how assisted dying may not represent choice when oftentimes it is seen as the only option.

Critics Consensus

Life After stands as a measured yet incendiary work which channels personal insight and journalistic precision to ask urgent, unsettling questions regarding the societal and institutional structures that impact those with disabilities.

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Nicolas Rapold

Sight & Sound

Nov 6

As clearly and subtly as Davenport conveys the implications of the right-to-die policy, he maintains a grounded sense of compassion and an appreciation for the human complexity in every story that he brings into the fold of this film.

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John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

Oct 30

While the art of the argument these days seems to require the use of the most extreme cases available, Mr. Davenport does report on some fairly shocking ones.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Jul 18

3/4

A powerful movie that examines the political and social structures that surround and control people with disabilities, and comes to a conclusion that will spark many arguments.

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Zachary Goldkind

In Review Online

Aug 12

Life After delicately constructs an emphatic and empathetic argument against [the] itemization of disabled peoples.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Aug 8

It’s a very complicated and clashing array of arguments that this provocative documentary doesn’t hope to resolve -- it just offers weighty food for thought.

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Alfred Castaneda

Shade Studios

Jul 30

Another strong entry from Davenport, despite the film’s heavy themes.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 18

Real footage in 1 hour and 39 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Reid Davenport

Director

Colleen Cassingham

Producer

Dawn Bonder

Executive Producer

Daniel J. Chalfen

Executive Producer

James Costa

Executive Producer

Jess Devaney

Executive Producer

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Life After: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In 1983, a disabled Californian woman named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the "right to die," igniting a national debate about autonomy, dignity, and the value of disabled lives. After years of courtroom trials, Bouvia disappeared from public view. Disabled director Reid Davenport narrates this investigation of what happened to Bouvia and her story's relevance today. LIFE AFTER coalesces the missing voices of the disability community in the contemporary debate about assisted dying. Davenport looks at the ways that disabled people have and continue to die prematurely--whether murdered by a hospital in the case of Michael Hickson in Texas, or with the support of parents and community in the case of Wisconsin teen Jerika Bolen. Davenport's exploration brings him to Canada, where safeguards have been lifted to allow disabled people unprecedented access to Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), even if their deaths are not reasonably foreseeable. In Ontario, Davenport interviews disabled computer programmer Michal Kaliszan, who contemplated MAID when his only alternative was entering an institution. In a society where ableism and poor healthcare can limit options, the autonomy of a disabled individual is often compromised. LIFE AFTER demonstrates how assisted dying may not represent choice when oftentimes it is seen as the only option.

Director: Reid Davenport
Producer: Colleen Cassingham
Distributor: Multitude Films / Independent Lens
Production Co: Multitude Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 39m