We’re cued in by the booming track, Shot Down by The Sonics, which sets an upbeat tone that deludes us into the film we’re about to see. Floor van der Meulen’s Pink Moon rekindles discussion around a divisive topic through a well-disposed formula that invites the audience to view the right-to-die through a new lens.
In the middle of a family dinner, 74-year-old Jan (Johan Leysen) announces his plans to end his life by his next birthday, which is just a few months away. He tells them that he’s already purchased a powder that’ll allow him to slip away peacefully, and that he plans to put it in yogurt on the day of his selected demise. Naturally, his children Ivan (Eelco Smits) and Iris (Julia Akkermans) aren’t handling the news too well. But Ivan’s wife, Elisabeth (Anniek Pheifer) instantly applauds Jan’s decision, deeming his choice to go out on his own terms as brave. And like it is with most in-laws, Iris side-eyes her for unsolicited opinion. Quickly Ivan, although hesitant, seems to accept his father’s decision while Iris starts to spiral.
After another family dinner, Jan discusses possible dates for his departure. Ivan and his wife Elisabeth scroll through their phones to see if November 28 works with their schedule. To no surprise, that date is very inconvenient for Iris. By the end of dinner, the siblings decide to help their father make an end-of-life playbook: cancel subscriptions, sell the house, and do other tasks that would be more difficult to do after his death than while he’s still living. They even plan a run-through of the day to make sure his children aren’t incriminated in his death, and whom to call first after he’s gone.
The decision to watch this film on Father’s Day intensified the emotional journey I was unprepared to take. Similar to the siblings in the film, my father recently celebrated his 75th birthday and has always been very candid about his mortality and the amount of time he feels he has left with us. As the baby of the family, similar to Iris in this story, I am completely unprepared.
Floor van der Meulen’s direction plays well off of Bastiaan Kroeger’s script. The pacing moves similarly to everyday life. There are no monumental moments or extreme pitfalls. It’s unremarkable. Even the announcement at the dinner table was delivered in a very matter-of-fact way.
The scenes are filled with unspoken words allowing the audience to digest the situation at the same rate as the characters. It’s as if we get to travel through the stages of grief alongside Iris which in this film are ordered in anger, denial, depression, bargaining, back to anger, and acceptance.
Shortly after learning her father’s plans to end his life, Iris quits her job and moves back in with her father, partly to spend as much time as possible and partly in hopes of convincing him to change his mind. As the house is put on the market, the furniture is sold, and the date gets closer, Iris panics and kidnaps her father for a road trip.
On the trip, she asks him about things he wants to do, and places he wants to go. Does he want sex? There’s a scene where they are in the show, under a tree. Jan is holding her. And finally, Iris embraces the full weight of grief. Iris doesn’t understand why she isn’t enough of a reason for him to want to live. Jan loves his children, but he’s done. He is not sick. He is not depressed. He’s just simply, done.
As the film and Jan’s life comes to the inevitable conclusion, Ivan breaks. Even with knowing what lies ahead, the grief was inescapable. And as his grief begins, Iris’ comes to a close. Iris was able to process her feelings with her father almost guiding her through it.
There is something painfully beautiful about being able to grieve your loved ones while they’re still here. Iris had this gift.
Floor van der Meulen was able to make a dark topic seem less daunting and at times, even funny. It’s not amusing that Jan wants to end his life but it isn’t necessarily sad either. Moments of comic relief allowed the audience to surface before being submerged back into the situation at hand.
It’s a film that will hit close to home for many. It’ll make you think about those you’ve lost and those that are still here. One more trip, one more dance, one more — until there’s just no more time. For Jan, his life was done. His life was complete.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
No Comment! Be the first one.