Grünes Licht

In 2020, the German courts declared that people have the basic right to end their lives, clearing the way for physicians to assist their patients in suicide. But as is often the case with legal decisions, the ruling left many details unclarified, opening doctors up to a host of specific court challenges. The subject of GRÜNES LICHT is Dr. Johann Friedrich Spittler, an 83-year-old doctor who, despite his personal misgivings, believes that helping his patients end their suffering is his moral imperative. In Pavel Cuzuioc’s intimate documentary, we follow Dr. Spittler as he conducts extended interviews with those seeking his help. While some are terminally ill and in constant pain, others fall into a grey area that opens complex questions both for the law and for Spittler himself. Should a hopelessly depressed man be given the doctor’s assurance that if he finally loses the will to live, he can make use of assisted suicide as a last resort? Must Spittler help a grieving mother who only wants to “join” her deceased son? GRÜNES LICHT offers a clear-eyed portrait of a man whose convictions place him at the unenviable junction of medical ethics, jurisprudence and human dignity. (Michael Sicinski)

In the presence of Pavel Cuzuioc and on October 22 also of Anna Kirst.

Pavel Cuzuioc: DIGGING FOR LIFE (2011), RAISA (2015, K), SECONDO ME (2016), PLEASE HOLD THE LINE (2020), COSMOSAPIENS (2023)