ANESTHÉSIA examines several countries where assisted dying has already been legalized or is under debate. Through the perspectives of families, loved ones, and elected officials, the film explores what these choices reveal about how we care for the most vulnerable.

What if, in the name of individual freedom, we were confusing compassion with abandonment? As the legalization of euthanasia divides France, this film offers, for the first time, a unique exploration of end-of-life care across six countries, through a series of deeply moving stories. In the Netherlands, Marga is trying to cope with the euthanasia of her 31-year-old daughter, who suffered from severe anorexia. In Belgium, Claire is trying to understand why her father chose to die rather than face—as she does—the degenerative disease they both suffer from. Director Franck Berthier reflects on a trip to Zurich where he accompanied a friend, terminally ill with cancer, to undergo medically assisted suicide. In Quebec, on the Manawan reserve, a grandmother is considering assisted dying, prompting her entire family to ask themselves: does she really want to die, or does she wish to leave so as not to be a burden to them anymore? At Maison Gardanne, caregivers are reinventing end-of-life care and restoring patients’ zest for life right up to their last breath. Amid personal pain, family dilemmas, revelations, and poignant reconciliations, *Anesthésia* challenges our certainties and questions our views on dignity, vulnerability, and the choice to die.