The author Simon Roy (My Red Life Kubrick) died from brain cancer in October 2022. Seriously ill for many months before his death, he requested medical assistance in dying, preferring to die at home, surrounded by his family, rather than at the hospital.
Presented at the Montreal International Documentary Meetings (RIDM), Simon and Mariannedirected by Pier-Luc Latulippe and Martin Fournier (Manor, Outside Serge outside), retraces the last moments of his life marked by his complicity with his partner, Marianne Marquis-Gravel, also a writer.
The latter is participating in a round table on Friday, with the two filmmakers, as part of the Montreal Book Fair, on medical assistance in dying as an element of artistic creation. Just a few days before the film’s theatrical release, we met them to better understand how they decided to approach this relatively new subject in Quebec, both from an ethical and aesthetic point of view.
Life force
The directors met the author at a screening of Outside Serge outsideat Collège Lionel-Groulx, in Sainte-Thérèse, where he taught, as did his wife. “He asked us a question after the film, and we were impressed by the relevance of his intervention,” explains Pier-Luc Latulippe. Martin also recognized him because he had seen him at Everyone is talking about ithe was very touched by her story. And I had been marked by My Red Life Kubrick when I was a student. Coming home that evening, we felt we had to capture the last weeks of his life. »
The four then go for a drink. “We didn’t know Marianne,” remembers Martin Fournier. But when we saw how much they loved each other, how much they needed each other, it became obvious that we had to be interested in their couple in particular. » In other words, although medical assistance in dying “is part of Simon’s story”, “we did not want it to be the central subject of the project”, underlines Pier-Luc Latulippe.
We thus witness, in the film, candid moments of their daily life. They share reflections on life and death, one day affirming that their love constitutes an act of rebellion against finitude. From the first scenes, Simon knows that he will eventually request medical assistance in dying. Then, one morning, he calls his doctor to tell him that he has chosen a date. If we could already see the great life force of the author, each event then seems all the more precious to us: the last walk in his neighborhood, the last campfire in his yard, the last conversation in front of the camera with her daughter, Romane…
His latest project
“Simon, who had always written, but who could no longer because of cancer, decided to accept the invitation from Pier-Luc and Martin on a whim, because he saw this film as his last project artistic, explains Marianne Marquis-Gravel. The guys asked him what aesthetic he wanted. He was the one who told them that he preferred it to be in black and white, because he loved Wings of desireby Wim Wenders. We wanted something more poetic, which would not be a conventional documentary, like the other films by Pier-Luc and Martin. »
Ethical questions then arose: how to interfere in the privacy of a couple? Up to what stage of a medical assistance in dying process should we film? “We found answers very quickly and instinctively,” says Martin Fournier. From the start, we decided not to film Simon’s death, to leave this last moment to him and his family. »
“It must be said that we became friends with the guys,” adds Marianne Marquis-Gravel. We developed a very strong bond, because of the intensity of the emotions that the filming aroused, but also because it was during the pandemic and we saw almost no one else. Simon was also less and less in shape. Sometimes he could only get up for 30 minutes a day. So that became the only time of day we could shoot. He remained so motivated until the end…”
“A beautiful death”
It was also the bond of friendship that united the quartet that allowed the two lovers to feel comfortable in front of the camera. “At first, I was apprehensive about the idea of someone filming me while I was doing my dishes,” says Marianne Marquis-Gravel. Over time, it became normal. The camera would land, often stay still, then we would forget about it. At the start of the filming days, the guys would ask us a few questions to warm us up, and that would end up launching us into an important discussion with Simon without us realizing it. »
This experience has become “the most important” of the filmmakers’ careers, maintains Pier-Luc Latulippe. “We chose to approach medical assistance in dying by taking it for granted,” he said. We started from the principle that this was normal in Quebec, especially to poeticize the daily life of Simon and Marianne. It still made us realize how you can have a good death if you choose the best time. »
When asked how she feels about speaking to the media, two years after the death of her partner, Marianne Marquis-Gravel says she is ambivalent: “I would have liked Simon to be by my side to talk about it, but I also think that the film transmits all its strength and passion. Few people will have experienced their death like Simon: by accepting it, then sublimating it through art. I find it beautiful, ultimately. »
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