by Larry Richman
March 13, 2008 10:18 PM

My second day at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival kicked off with the World Premiere of A Necessary Death, a shocking and controversial feature from director Daniel Stamm.

To say that A Necessary Death defies description is an understatement. In fact, it's so unique that to say much more would spoil it. In A Necessary Death, we follow a young filmmaker as he shoots a documentary about suicide. The kicker is that he actively solicits a subject who has already made plans to off himself and is willing to do it on camera.

For me, it's intensely personal. I lost a close friend to suicide about nine months ago and haven't really struggled with it as much as I'd expected to. I think I understand why he did what he did and the notion that someone taking their own life might be "justified" is something that is taboo in this society. This film breaks that taboo, and, in so doing, sheds some light on an issue which is so foreign to most people that they look at me with a mixture of disgust and wonder when I bring it up.

Needless to say, the film addresses issues of ethics, legality, and responsibility for the actions of others. The viewer's comfort level is tested as the film pushes the envelope of what's acceptable in cinema. The question is posed, "If it isn't disturbing, is it art?" A Necessary Death surely disturbs.