Facing Death

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross devoted her life to death and dying and achieved world fame in the process. With her humane and down-to-earth approach, she has done much to destigmatize dying and to improve the treatment of terminally-ill patients of all ages.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross has led a highly unusual life, starting from her birth in Switzerland in 1926 as a 2-pound triplet. She attended medical school against her family’s wishes and struggled for recognition as a woman doctor in Switzerland and a psychiatrist in the United States.

In 1969 her work with dying patients in Chicago brought her sudden fame with the publication of her first book On Death and Dying. She has since published more than a dozen books and given countless workshops and lectures all over the world. In the film 76 years old, she has suffered 6 strokes, and lives in isolation outside Phoenix, Arizona. She died on August 24, 2004.

The core of the film is a visit to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in Arizona. What is her daily life like today?
How does she view her life and career? And how is she facing her own aging and death? Alongside these conversations, the film also looks back at her life and work in Switzerland and the United States. There are appearances by friends, colleagues, and relatives – including her triplet sisters.

Munich, DocAviv, Kiev, Swiss American Film Festival New York, Hungary