How Long Is “A Necessary Death”?

A young director's first feature becomes a literal matter of life and death in this independent drama. Gilbert (Gilbert John Echternkamp) is a film student who has come up with a novel idea for his final thesis project -- he wants to find someone who has decided to kill themselves, and follow them through the final days of their life until they commit suicide. Gilbert posts a message on the internet looking for a suitable subject, and after interviewing a handful of people with their own reasons for taking their life, he chooses a British expatriate (Matt Tilley) who is slowly dying of an inoperable brain tumor and wants to end it all before pain makes his life unbearable. It's important to Gilbert that his subject actually kills himself, believing that it would call the integrity of the film into question if they changed their mind. But as filming goes on, everyone involved becomes aware of the way the creative process is impacting the man's road towards death. A Necessary Death received its world premiere at the 2008 South by Southwest Film Festival.