DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Ned & Me offers no easy answers to debates about euthanasia. Each case of assisted dying is unique and demands an understanding of personal circumstances. In our film we portray two people’s experience of ending life. How and when we die are often taboo subjects but, recently, due to challenges with my own health, I have become very interested in whether we can ever have complete control over our bodies.

Our film explores assisted dying though the relationship between Mia and Ned. When I first read Lizzie Clarke’s script, I was struck by her sensitive handling of the issue. I knew if I could maintain that sensitivity in the filming of the work, we could create a film that would encourage conversation. 

Doubt is at the forefront of my vision: Mia’s own doubt; our doubt about her motives; and my uncertainty over the ethics of euthanasia. When Mia and Rose eat ice cream by the sea, time has moved on, but it is not clear that Mia has moved with it. The sea, like Mia, can change in a moment, and nothing is certain. Mia worries whether she did the ‘right’ thing. In such momentous, transformative actions, how can we know if we have made the ‘right’ choice? And the ‘right’ choice for whom? Mia’s motivations appear to be love and compassion but can we really be sure her motives are so pure when she receives a fee for the transaction, in the same way she does for sex? Mia might have helped free Ned, but will this have a long-term effect on her own mental health?

I also wanted to depict proximity to death on camera, and to surround it by joy and fearlessness. For Ned, dying before debilitating illness kills him is an act of empowerment. He is taking ownership of his body. The joy of his connection with Mia, aided by vibrant music, specifically composed by Stella Roberts for Del Camino, represents courage and acceptance of death. In this moment, Ned’s liberation is so complete that he is able to offer a momentary freedom to Mia too - and she, in turn, expresses her love for him in the best way she knows how. 

My incredible creative team are united by a desire to make work that inspires conversation about how we live now. The film is created by people who seek to look at the world, and to improve it. 
In Ned & Me, I wanted to look at dying as bravely as I wish to live. Like Ned, I don’t want to be scared of death. In my opinion, death is a stepping stone; an extension of life and as natural as being born. The questions are, when should we intervene in that step, and who can we trust to help us?