There is one thing that is true for everyone: we’re going to die. Some worry that talking about it will make it happen sooner – that’s a quote that my wife, who works in the end-of-life space, often uses to dispel the stigma around the idea of planning for a good death. Just because one person might be ready to open up about it, doesn’t mean others in their immediate vicinity will be. In Pink Moon, a Dutch-Slovenian film premiering at this year’s Tribeca festival, one 74-year-old father, Jan (Johan Leysen), decides he’s ready to end his life, something his children, particularly his daughter Iris (Julia Akkermans) are not okay with at all...
This is an interesting concept that’s not explored as often as it should be. Jan isn’t sick. He feels perfectly fine, but he’s at a point in his life where he feels, in his own words, that his next birthday should be his last. It’s a concept that Iris, and likely the majority of us, can’t actually relate to, even if it does make some sense from a distant, theoretical standpoint. He knows what may happen to him in the coming years, and he would rather go out on his own terms, while he's feeling fine and able to function. He may be ready for that moment, but Iris, after the initial wave of shock wears off, has to start preparing herself for the fact that she’ll still be around once he’s gone.
Pink Moon wisely hones in on Iris’ fears about losing him, and the gradual dismemberment of her childhood as a result. After she and her brother go through her father’s house putting stickers on the things they want, she learns that he has donated many of his belongings. Her attempt to walk into a store selling them and take several items back since she never wanted them given away in the first place is unsuccessful, and having to pay to buy her own things back adds an additional punch to the already gaping wound that is growing in anticipation of her father’s departure.
This is a positive portrayal of an end-of-life experience, one that Jan has carefully thought out and researched, including the legal aspects that will ensure that his children do not bear any blame for his death. It’s a stunningly realistic look at how people respond to mortality, and there are tender moments between father and daughter to be found when Iris isn’t spiraling out of control to try to cope with this life-altering news. Akkermans turns in a fierce, memorable performance in an impressive feature debut from director Floor van de Meulen. While this film may contain ideas that make some people uncomfortable, consider that an added incentive to give it a shot. B+
Pink Moon makes its world premiere in the International Narrative Competition at the 2022 Tribeca Festival.