Much Ado About Dying

Play trailer

Much Ado About Dying

2024

1h 24m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Filmmaker Simon finds his life drastically interrupted when he is called back to London from India to care for his retired bohemian gay actor Uncle David. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. David's anarchic spirit is unbreakable. He fights with Simon, refusing to go into a care home, insisting on dying in the squalor of his unheated tumble-down house. He can't remember where he put his false teeth but he still knows nearly all the lines from his beloved Shakespeare plays. David's real life starts to echo "King Lear", the play about an old man going mad and giving his kingdom away, as David starts giving away thousands of pounds to a hot sexy "helper". How do we deal with and care for our relatives who are living longer than ever? How does Simon help David to have a good death?

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

05/10/2024

4/5

The atmosphere of fug, filth and peril is suffocating. But Chambers selects the footage cunningly to always allow whispers of charm to filter through the stubbornness.

Go to Full Review

Leslie Felperin

Guardian

05/02/2024

4/5

I can think of few documentaries that are more honest, self-scrutinising and revelatory about ageing, familial love and its limits, and the whole tragicomic process of dying.

Go to Full Review

Vikram Murthi

IndieWire

03/15/2024

C+

While Much Ado About Dying strives to be a tribute to caretakers and Chambers’ dearly departed uncle, its baggy structure, dictated by David’s declining health, renders the film frustratingly inert.

Go to Full Review

Gavin Spoors

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

Aug 4

3/5

For all the film's messiness, it still knocks you back with its stark depiction of life, and eventually death.

Go to Full Review

David-Elijah Nahmod

Bay Area Reporter

Jan 7

Besides provoking discussion, "Much Ado About Dying" introduces viewers to one of the most colorful and unforgettable characters they will ever encounter. Even as he lay dying, David lived his life on his own terms.

Go to Full Review

Carmen Paddock

MovieJawn

12/05/2024

While a clearly personal story for Chambers, the director and narrator is an unobtrusive presence, preferring to let David sing his songs, recite his verse, and share his story and feelings without commentary or filter.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Lora M

May 28

It gives a realistic view of a caregiver and the choices that Simon had to make that are not always black and white. How frustrating it can be as a caregiver and allowing a person to live their life. David is being cared for by Simon. Questions about when do we step in without taking over someone’s rights as a person. I could totally relate to so much of what Simon was going through. David was an interesting character. Laughter, Love and Life. Give it a watch👍🏼

See more

dick d

05/13/2024

Watched this in 2022 when it first came out and with the filmmaker in attendance taking questions. Very engrossing from start to finish, really excellent.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Simon Chambers

Director

David Rane

Producer

Simon Chambers

Cinematographer

Claire Ferguson

Film Editor

Irene Buckley

Original Music

The Penny Black

100%

100%

The Penny Black

Watchlist

Time Passages

%

%

Time Passages

Watchlist

The Arc of Oblivion

100%

93%

The Arc of Oblivion

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Arc of Oblivion

Workhorse Queen

100%

%

Workhorse Queen

Watchlist

Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton

100%

95%

Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Filmmaker Simon finds his life drastically interrupted when he is called back to London from India to care for his retired bohemian gay actor Uncle David. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. David's anarchic spirit is unbreakable. He fights with Simon, refusing to go into a care home, insisting on dying in the squalor of his unheated tumble-down house. He can't remember where he put his false teeth but he still knows nearly all the lines from his beloved Shakespeare plays. David's real life starts to echo "King Lear", the play about an old man going mad and giving his kingdom away, as David starts giving away thousands of pounds to a hot sexy "helper". How do we deal with and care for our relatives who are living longer than ever? How does Simon help David to have a good death?

Director: Simon Chambers
Producer: David Rane
Distributor: Cosmic Cat
Production Co: Soilsiú Films, Soilsu Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 1h 24m

Most Popular at Home Now