"A Mother's End" (2012, France)

In an aging society where one in two people die of cancer, many eventually face the need to prepare for death—so-called “end-of-life planning.” Once dementia sets in, this becomes difficult. As economic hardship deepens with prolonged recession, poverty spreads, and crime steadily increases.

Alain, a middle-aged man who has just served a year and a half in prison for drug trafficking, moves in with his estranged mother, Yvette. She quietly accepts him despite their strained relationship. Their meager meals together are devoid of warmth or joy. Alain finds his mother, with her fussiness and nagging temperament, increasingly intolerable. Unable to hold a steady job or sustain a romantic relationship, he finally storms out after a bitter argument.

One day, Alain discovers a document tucked away in a drawer among his mother’s medications. It is a contract with an assisted suicide organization. Yvette, it turns out, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and told she has only a short time to live. She had been preparing for a death that would be, in her own words, "true to herself." The revelation deeply unsettles Alain.

Unfortunately, the melanoma she has does not respond well to chemotherapy. CT scans after treatment show the cancer has continued to spread. Alain meets with his mother's physician and joins a discussion with the assisted dying organization, where he comes to understand the resolve behind Yvette's decision.

Could Alain truly accept his mother's end-of-life wishes? In the time they have left, mother and son finally confront each other, share their moments, and come together—until the final morning arrives.

“Never take your parents—and time—for granted.”

This is a heavy truth shared not only by patients but by all of us. Though Japan has begun to adopt living wills, the approach to death with dignity remains varied—something deeply characteristic of France, where individuality and human rights are strongly valued.