Last Flight Home, a documentary movie is available to stream now. Watch it on The Roku Channel, Paramount Plus, Vudu, Prime Video or Apple TV on your Roku device.

Article by Marcus Siu

Ondi Timoner’s” latest documentary, “Last Flight Home”, about her terminally ill 92-year old father, Eli Timoner, who wishes to end his life is one of those rare documentaries that will stay with you for a very long time. Though the subject matter may be a bit overwhelming for audiences to confront, it’s a compelling documentary that shouldn’t be missed.

Rewind back to the 1970’s when Eli was an entrepreneur, venture capitalist and business executive most notable for creating Air Florida. Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke at age 53 that left him unable to walk without the use of a cane. He was later forced to retire as there were no protection laws against disabled people back then. At the time, he was a loving father of three, and happily married to his devoted wife, Lisa, who took care of him for the last forty years until he was unable to standup on his own.

Eventually, Eli developed Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and became completely immobilized, helpless and confined to the bed. He pleaded for “death with dignity” which his family fully supported.

Luckily, a recently passed California End of Life Option Act gives mentally and physically capable terminally ill individuals the right to end their lives with medical aid assistance after a 15-day waiting period. The law that “allows a terminally-ill adult… to request a drug from his or her physician that will end his or her life,” as the UCLA Health website describes it. “People who choose to end their lives this way, and who carefully follow the steps in the law, will not be considered to have committed suicide.”

Ondi Timoner, a veteran documentary filmmaker of thirty years and two-time recipient of the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize (DIG!, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC) initially wanted to make a documentary based on her father’s life before he developed COPD. She was originally going to document the timeline from his days with the airline to when he got the stroke and how it affected the family. It was going to be fully scripted with Eli’s assistance and called “A Script of Genius”.

After Eli decided he wanted to end his life, the situation of Ondi’s project had dramatically changed course from being a scripted to a vérité style documentary, so the audience could feel the same emotions as the people on screen feel. The brutally truthful and profound film takes us on an emotional journey of ups and downs on so many levels, like a rollercoaster, that few other filmmakers have gone before.

“I didn’t intend to make this film”, Ondi acknowledged at a recent screening in San Francisco. “I was just really terrified at the prospect of losing my father. I couldn’t remember him from before when he had the stroke when I was 9 1/2 and couldn’t actually remember him able bodied before that…so when he said he needed to die…of course we we’re gonna support him”.

It was mandatory that Ondi document his final last days until his death. She wanted to capture his voice and personality so that she and her family could have that forever. Even with her family being accustomed to her filming them throughout the years, she still questioned herself as to why she was doing this and even questioned herself.

“I thought something might be wrong with me for this and also I thought maybe I was gonna be hurting my family by reading the experience.”, Ondi remarked. “I thought maybe I was trying to protect myself by putting a lens between myself and everything that was happening.” Her therapist who told her it was a terrible idea, but told her, “If you think you should film then you should film.”

After getting the green light from Eli, she strategically put multiple cameras just about everywhere around the house without being obtrusive so that everyone felt natural and not self conscious during the filming process. Obviously, it worked as we hear Eli telling penis jokes and talking freely about what he would personally do to ex-President Donald Trump if given the chance.

Even with Eli’s body weakening as the 15-day waiting period approached, he was still very lucid and intact even until the very end. Regardless of his handicap, he was someone you wanted to hang around with. It was easy to fall in love with this his sharp wit and good natured humor.

“You get to experience his choice from a very unique perspective”, Ondi remarked. “I think is a very important basic human right that we should have which is the right to die”…like abortion also…It’s a basic human right and we need to reclaim our right over birth and death in our country.”

Once you start watching the film, you’ll be hooked. Rather just being a fly on the wall, you will be invited into Eli’s loving family as one of them. You begin to realize it’s a love story revolving the power of human connection between a father and his close knit family with each family member having a slightly different way of coping with Eli’s death.

Rachel, the older daughter, who also happens to be a rabbi, split responsibilities in her dual roles. There are some very powerful moments with Eli who opened up and confessed his personal hidden guilts that he had kept secret over the years. It was perhaps the most concealing scene in the movie, as we find out what kind of genuine person Eli really is.

“Respect those you don’t know and love the ones you do.”

These simple but profound words did not come from a wise elderly Greek philosopher, but from Eli as he was giving life advice to his grandson surrounded by family members, with everyone knowing that he has only a few days left to live. It’s an especially poignant and touching scene, because those will be the last words of wisdom his grandson will remember him by.

As the 15th day approaches, he is ready to take the two-part oral medication that will end his life along with the plastic cups and straws that he held and practiced with that made it easier for him to take. Since there are strict laws that prohibit assistance from anyone other than Eli, we cringe and wonder if he will be able to succeed in taking the life-ending drugs. Everyone around him is rooting him on, almost like at a fraternity where social pressure urges you to down your alcohol.

To want to watch a movie about someone’s death might sound a little morbid to some, but when you meet everyone in his family, you realize it’s actually enlightening and life affirming. It’s also a rare permanent portrait of someone who will always be loved by his entire family and friends forever. The memories will never go away.

Lisa, his wife for 55 years has seen the film well over 600 times over the last two years and feels as though her husband is with her each evening as she watches it.

After screenings, many people have reached out and shared their similar experiences with Ondi confirming their loved ones that chose to die with dignity all had an “incredibly holistic peaceful experience.”

Death is very much a taboo subject, especially in the United States. No one really wants to talk about it until they are forced to. There are only ten states that allow the right to die, but Ondi believes this film can be used as a launching point to revisit these laws for the other forty states.

“As the days unfolded, I realized how essential it is that the right to die be understood as a basic human right. Our democracy was founded to protect our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that must include autonomy and authority of our own bodies.”

It can be a blessing when you know how much time you have left. You can schedule loved ones to say goodbye and you can unload any burdens of guilt you may carry to leave the world more peacefully, regardless if you have a rabbi or priest in your family. You have more time to plan your bucket list.

Eli’s death by dignity was life affirming, if that makes sense. It was what he wanted and through the support and love of his immediate family, made it happen. Amazingly, I didn’t need a box of Kleenex, since I felt closure and feel that a renewed Eli is looking over his family from the friendly skies above, like he promised.

Just ask the peacock in the front yard of their house.