In “Take Me Out Feet First,” a new docuseries now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, director Serene Meshel-Dillman chronicles people’s right to choose medical aid in dying.
The six-part docuseries, made in partnership with the nonprofit advocacy organization Compassion & Choices, profiles 25 terminally ill people, their families, and friends, as well as experts in the medical field who advocate for MAID. The series chronicles people who have taken control of how their final days will play out. While some live in states where medical aid in dying is legal, some do not.
“Take Me Out Feet First” was inspired by the director’s mother, who, in 2017, chose to end her life using MAID after she was diagnosed with stage four spindle cell sarcoma, a rare form of lung cancer, and given less than three months to live. Meshel-Dillman documented her mother’s final days, leading up to her drinking apple juice mixed with the MAID medication to help her peacefully pass away. Her father, originally opposed to MAID, ultimately chose to use medical aid in dying after being diagnosed with cancer in 2022.
The experience with her mother led Meshel-Dillman to make “Take Me Out Feet First,” a reference to her mother’s longtime wish to only leave the home that she loved “feet first.” For two years Meshel-Dillman traveled the country with her husband and cinematographer, Ray Dillman, interviewing people with terminal prognoses who sought to have the same choice at the end of their lives. The director also interviewed patient’s families and friends, as well as experts in the MAID field with the hope that the project will speed the movement to legalize medical aid in dying in every state.
“This story shows the courage, determination, and love that my mother embodied toward the end, as well as my father’s clear decision-making when, it too, was his time,” says Meshel-Dillman. “My parents showed me that there’s grace in being in charge of your own destiny. The California End of Life Option Act is just that: dignified. Ultimately, it’s a humane and kind gift.”
California is one of 10 states in addition to Washington, D.C., where it is legal to use medical aid to die.
Watch the first trailer below.