The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (2009)

Documentary following assisted suicide ballot initiative in Washington State.

Director:

Daniel Junge

Stars:

Booth Gardner, Katherine Bragdon, Dia Armenta

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Booth Gardner	...	Himself (as Gov. Booth Gardner)
Katherine Bragdon	...	Herself - Consultant
Dia Armenta	...	Herself - Political Strategist
Anne Martens	...	Herself
Alex Morgan	...	Himself - Campaign Manager
Duane French	...	Himself
Eilen Geller	...	Herself
Sharon Park	...	Herself (as Sister Sharon Park)
John Spellman	...	Himself (as Gov. John Spellman)
Ken Schram	...	Himself
John Carlson	...	Himself

Storyline

Documentary following assisted suicide ballot initiative in Washington State.

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

1 August 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Just Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

37 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010)

User Reviews

Simplistic and shallow

This film was just adequate in its handling of the topic. It followed some odd and awkward moments of Booth's, such as everyone at the campaign victory party whooping and hollering for suicide. I remember Booth Gardner from his successful days in political office, and of course it is painful and sad to see him suffering. However, I heard a lot of pat sound-bites from Booth "I think I should have some control of my last days", rather than ever delving in deeper. The fact is, it is a major reversal of public policy and morality to allow legal suicide. I think the film-maker could have addressed these questions a lot more deeply. When Booth hears a radio story about one of his campaign adversaries, his only response is that she is "shrill". That may be, but could he respond to the content of her criticism? Apparently not, or the filmmaker would have shown it. The deeper moral questions of suicide are never addressed. Thus, the film is like a lot of American political coverage, more about the horse race/sporting aspect, less about delving into the difficult content of the issues. There is a wonderful article by Daniel Bergner in the Dec. 2 2007 New York Times Magazine about Booth Gardner, assisted suicide, and a lot that was missing from this film.