Ondi Timoner’s heartbreaking documentary records the last days of a man about to die by his own hand.
In many ways this could be called a home movie. It has all the criteria of a family film but without the usual jolliness. There are no relatives doing silly things in front of the camera. Instead, Last Flight Home is about a man facing his own death while his daughter films the progress of his decision. However, it has to be said that it isn’t all gloom and doom, as there are some moments of joy too, albeit of a somewhat mordant nature.
Eli Timoner was a successful US entrepreneur who created the budget airline Air Florida in the 1970s, because he thought ordinary people should be able to afford to fly. As well as being a passionate businessman he was also a loving family man. However, eventually his company failed and he was declared bankrupt. In 1982 he suffered a stroke and remained partially paralysed for the rest of his life, bombarded with many more illnesses and other health issues. By the year 2021 and in his 90s, Eli decided that there was little point in living any longer, so he set about preparing for the end of his life.
In California there is a Death with Dignity law which offers an End-of-Life Option permitting the taking of one’s own life. As long as two doctors agree that the subject is of sound mind and is able to decide of his or her own accord that they need the medicine required to terminate the life, the process is completely legal. During the mandatory fifteen-day waiting period (which may in time be reduced to 48 hours) before any action can be taken, Eli’s daughter Ondi recorded on film not only the last journey her father took in preparation for his death, but she also looked back and included archive footage of the family enjoying their earlier lives. So, the documentary comprises not only a biography of a former happy life but also the approaching death experience. In the film we see Eli’s family and friends assembling around his bed to celebrate his living and mark his passing. Eli died in March of 2021.
It is of course an emotionally touching time for all concerned, as any approach to death would be. However, despite some dodgy camerawork and choppy editing, Ondi Timoner’s film is a powerful documentary that is also a marvellous celebration of one man’s life. However, it wasn't all roses for Eli, his second wife Elissa, their three children and other family members and friends but, as they gathered together at the imminent approach of his death, the most troubling regrets were happily forgiven. As well as an object lesson in how to proceed to a happy end, the film shows that in any family all you need is love. Everything else is neither here nor there.
MICHAEL DARVELL
Featuring Eli Timoner, Morgan Doctor, Rachel Maddow, David Timoner, Ondi Timoner.
Dir Ondi Timoner, Pro Ondi Timoner and David Turner, Screenplay Ondi Timoner, Ph Morgan Doctor, Turner Jumonville, Skyler Knutzen and Ondi Timoner, Ed Riley Beres, Derek Bosko, Nassim El Bouhtouri, Kathy Hush and Ismail Rashid, Music Consultant Karyn Rachtman.
MTV Documentary Films-MTV Documentary Films.
106 mins. USA. 2022. US Rel: 1 October 2022. UK Rel: 25 November 2022.
