The Self-Made Man (2005)

9.0/10 58 min Documentary

Overview

Is it ever rational to choose death? On Independence Day at Stern Ranch, 77-year-old solar energy pioneer Bob Stern finds out he’s seriously ill – possibly dying. Meanwhile, an elderly in-law is dying on artificial life support. Bob decides to cheat that fate and take his own life. His family tries to stop him. Bob sets up a video camera. Daughter Susan Stern explores “rational suicide,” the “right-to-die” and the difficult end-of-life choices faced by an aging population.

Cast

Recommendations

Robin's Wish
Extremis
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
The Menendez Brothers
The Bridge
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz
Sherman's March
In the Realms of the Unreal
Icarus
Val
Gunda
Seduced and Abandoned
Public Speaking
McQueen
Trainwreck: Balloon Boy
The Cheshire Murders
Hawking
David Lynch: The Art Life
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father