I’ve always wondered what I would do were I in a situation where I was fully conscious of the fact I was dying. Being a pretty liberal-minded person, I’ve always supported people's right to choose, and while not being a lobbyist for euthanasia, I certainly understand its merits. But I have still never been able to answer that fundamental question – what would I do?
Ezikiel, a man in a Jerusalem retirement home, surrounded by death and those who are dying on a daily basis decides, with the help of his friends to build a euthanasia machine for one of his closer friends. Word about this new machine starts getting out, and suddenly he and his group are plied for more use of their (in the mind of those who use it) dignity machine.
'THE FAREWELL PARTY' TRAILER
So if this doesn’t sound like the world's most uplifting film, you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that. What the synopsis doesn’t present is the warmth with which this film is written, acted and directed. There is so much humour, a lot of it very dark but nonetheless funny, that at times you do forget the serious nature of the subject matter. A personal favourite recurring joke of mine was the phone calls to god.
‘The Farewell Party’ doesn’t shy away from these heavier subjects, but faces them with a grim humour that we can all relate to. This would have to be my pick of the Festival, and it's no wonder it was nominated for a variety of awards. With a cast that respect wisdom before beauty and experience before braun, ‘The Farewell Party’ is one bash you should definitely attend.