Extremis (2016) Poster

(2016)

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8/10
The extreme decision some of us have to make
Rodrigo_Amaro24 September 2016
So real and so viscerally hard yet compelling enough to make you feel immersed in what you're seeing. "Extremis" touches one of those hard topics we tend to avoid and hardly ever think about until it happens to us or to someone we know and care about and that is the decision one must do in order to save a family member who's dying or to pull the plug and let them go because there's nothing more that can be done. A short documentary following medical doctors, families and people at the saddening final moments.

"Extremis" makes you think about those choices and gets all those different points of view of what to do, how to react and all the doubts that comes with it. The sick person can't do much to what's happening to them, the ones here all got tubes, equipment and such to help them breathe and continue to live in a deficient way. It all boils down to the talk the doctors must have with the family members, an extremely hard talk that follows with a more difficult decision.

We follow three or four cases, and people with better understanding in medicine will get it better the patients conditions since the film doesn't establish all that much, already cutting to what's going on and what's need to be done. In a way, it was very good they did that because all we need to know is that the patients will live though not in proper conditions and their relatives are the ones who can understand all the pain that goes through, all the caring they do and if they find appropriate to continue treatment or relieve their loved ones from more suffering. As someone who've always seen through the sick/dying one perspective, this is was truly something new to me, it made me reflect to how certain I could be in making an important decision concerning a person I loved, things that, unfortunately, they won't respond or say anything unless stated in previous talks - and that's the one we tend to avoid while going on living...cause death is for the later.

A commendable work though very sad to watch. What concerns me about the project is the thin line between what is exactly real and what is staged (if there is something like that, I mean, there were times I thought it was all acting). With a longer time, it'd be interesting for us in the audience to get everyone involved, backgrounds from families and the concerned doctors, just little things that'd make this a lot better. 8/10
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7/10
A Tough Subject Well Handled, But Knowing More About The Patients Would Have Helped
sddavis6324 September 2016
There's probably no decision that's harder than the decision about the end of life - especially when you're in the position of having to make (or at least heavily influence) the decision. Most of us have probably at some point had to make that decision for a beloved pet, but we hope and we pray that we don't have to face the decision for a family member. But sometimes we do. People have a tendency not to just fall asleep and not wake up, or to simply die in an instant. People get sick - and then sicker, and sicker still. And somewhere along the way, the question comes up - how far should we go with this? If you've ever been in the position of having to face those questions (and I have been personally within my own family, and as a pastor I've stood with families who've been faced with this decision) then you'll certainly be moved by this short film, and by the situations depicted.

This is a 24 minute short film that depicts these decisions being made in what seems to be an ICU in a major city. Doctors, nurses, families and patients all struggle together with the decision. Machines or no machines? Tubes or no tubes? Just how far do we go to keep a person alive who has no reasonable prospect for any significant recovery and when the quality of life has disappeared? It's a heart-wrenching decision for everyone, and that's one thing that becomes clear. Even the doctors - who surely have to do this a lot - are sometimes uncertain, and it's emotionally draining on them as well. Everyone wants and hopes for and prays for a miracle, but usually they don't come. If you've never been through this kind of situation and you want to get a glimpse of the sorts of things you struggle with, this is worth watching.

The main weakness I saw here was that it was so short. We got no real depth into any of the patients. There was no chance to get to know them or their families. We could sympathize (and perhaps empathize, if you've been through this) with them, but although the situations are moving, there's no real emotional connection with the people involved. I almost had the sense that I was intruding into some place that I had no business being. I think if more of the backstories had been made known, that might not have been the case.

Still, this is sobering and thought-provoking. As one of the people in the movie said, "everyone in this room is going to die one day." It's true. Everyone reading this review is going to die one day, and so is the person writing it. This certainly does make you cognizant of your own mortality and it leaves you hoping that you have an easier end than the patients depicted here. (7/10)
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8/10
Precise
jaredbergertx30 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Extremis' handling of the subject of euthanasia is precise. It accurately shows the choices one's family would go through in this indescribably hard subject while also putting you in the mind of a family member. It is one of the few films that will derive an opinion from the view, regardless of their prejudice. My only criticism of the piece is that it overs no solution regardless of goal, which is not the fault of the filmmakers, rather the situation. In other words, perfect description of the global problem at hand.
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7/10
Bad Doctor
reborn-4892914 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I really didn't like that doctor who kept trying to convince family to call it quits.

I'm a doctor as well and I think one of the biggest aspects to patient recovery is hope and this doctor is a disgrace to me.

If a family member chooses to give up, that's on them. As a doctor, your place is not to nudge family decisions one way or another. It is also irresponsible to inflate the bad while downplaying the possibilities. Your job is to deliver the facts, let the newly informed family decide what they want to do, and then execute an action plan based on the family's decisions.

If I had a chair on the boards, I'd pull her license. What a disgrace.

I gave a lower star amount because of the "euthanasia" propaganda but I like how insightful the show is in depicting what patients and their families must face.
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10/10
Heartbreaking and very important
annikas-691028 November 2016
OK, at first, I was gonna write "I have no words", but actually I have quite a few words..

This is by far the saddest, but also the most important documentary I've ever seen. I really appreciate good documentaries. After seeing this one, I just can't stop crying. This really got me thinking. 24 minutes of love, hope, pain and heartbreaking scenes. It's such an important topic. I believe and hope that this will help people see that life is fragile. This can happen to anyone. We need documentaries like this one.

My thoughts go to all of the incredible persons in this project, and all of the people who goes trough the same.
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6/10
Touching subject, but nothing new or interesting
Horst_In_Translation23 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Extremis" is a 24-minute documentary short from this year that managed to score some awards attention already. It was made by Oscar nominee Dan Krauss and takes a look at the professional lives of those who have to deal with extremely sick or even dying patients. I am not sure to what extent some of the scenes were staged in here or if it is tasteful to decide from the relatives of the dying that their suffering (the patients') is depicted in this documentary, but they need to decide for themselves. Euthanasia is also a subject here, but it is really more about living with the sick and trying to help them. This is the main message of this little movie. We also see the doctors' and nurses' emotional struggles because it is obviously a very tough job. This is all there is about this one here. It is nothing groundbreaking or something we really haven't seen before or it also does not teach anything new from the medical or sociological perspective, but it succeeds for what it is: the emotional approach. I recommend the watch. Thumsb up.
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10/10
Write a living will.
alexis-akesson26 November 2020
No one gets out alive. I don't want to be tortured on my deathbed. W don't allow suffering in animals but we force living, intelligent beings to die in agony because we believe in some god. Selfish to their suffering, and by the time our time comes, it is too late to say we were wrong and don't want to die in pain because there is a tube down our throat and we ate tied down to a table. Humanity is a cruel and heartless species.
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6/10
interesting, but with holes
happy_quadruped31 October 2022
It's an important and worthy topic - honestly, more people should be aware of what these conversations are like, both so they can express their wishes to their loved ones in advance, and because it would probably lead to interesting reflections on what one wants out of life.

However I feel the execution of this short film leaves too much out. We're not told much about the preceding circumstances of any of the patients, some of whom only get about 45 seconds of screen time. What happened to the patient who was 38 and just became a grandma? She seemed pretty "with it" but was being put on a long term ventilator - why?

That said, it was instructive to see how the doctors debate these decisions. A lot of people will probably second guess some of the doctors (especially the curly haired white woman), but I actually feel better seeing that it's a bit of a committee rather than just one doctor. And there honestly isn't one right answer, which is why it's a debate.
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9/10
Reality of life
MimiMinna16 November 2022
One of two takeaways for me. One is that this is a position that a lot of people have faced and will face in the future. Its uncomfortable to watch because it forces you to think of yourself in their shoes one day. I feel for the medical staff that are left to make decisions for the ones who cannot make those decisions themselves or don't have families.

The other is that the medical system in America needs a re-work. It makes you question if one of the factors that lead to many people finding themselves in this position is the failure of the system. $2000 for an ambulance? I too might delay my health if it means I might be too broke to live/feed my family.
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9/10
A VISIT
nelilyra320 July 2021
Extremis was made for us to make a visit and bring out our deepest and most anguished feeling: death!
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4/10
Pessimistic Doctor
e_lust29 October 2021
Watching the curly haired doctor be so quick to tell families to "pull the plug" was discouraging. You could tell the other doctors didn't share her thoughts in the cases shown. I hope she reflects on herself when she watches this and sees that she can do better.
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2/10
White women story
penelope_gallegos3 July 2021
Another story of the white women savior complex..... she is annoying btw, her answer is dead for everything and her attitude is the one that I pray to God to never encounter in a Hospital....
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1/10
May be I should have watched it some other day.
riddhimaakaritu25 September 2019
It deals with a very sensitive and tough topic.

But as a film I didn't like it.
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Dont watch this high
joshuabuis7 November 2018
Had a real rough time with this one. I though about dying the entire time. Really jacked me up with a bad anxiety freak out. Solid watch though considering all things.
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