Time of My Life

In one of the best performances of this year's CIFF, Koen De Graeve plays real life Belgian politician Mario Verstraete, the first man to take advantage of a new euthanasia law in Belgium – a law that Verstraete fought long and hard for. Told through the eyes of Verstraete's physician best friend Thomas, TIME OF MY LIFE takes the audience through Mario and Thomas' early years as young, fun-loving protesters along with their friend, the alluring Lynn. Soon these men become adults with big boy problems as Mario is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Refusing to die slowly and painfully, Mario decides that when the time comes, he should have the right to make the decision to end his own life. But first he must convince his family, Thomas, and all of Belgium. As charming as it is poignant, TIME OF MY LIFE is a captivating film with powerful performances as we watch a man in his struggle to die with dignity and the effects his decision has on his friends and family who have surrounded him his whole life. (In French with subtitles) – T.W.