Much Ado About Dying
Directed by Simon Chambers
Unrated
Runtime 84 minutes
On Streaming and Disc December 3

by Carmen Paddock, Staff Writer 

Filmmaker Simon Chambers has worked primarily in Indian cinema, but he turns his camera closer to home for Much Ado About Dying, a documentary of his Uncle David’s final months. He is in India on a shoot when he gets an ominous call from David announcing, simply, “I think I may be dying.” Upon Simon’s return home to London, it is clear that David sees the end of his life as a great piece of theatre and himself as the adored star. But this is only natural for a lifelong Shakespearian actor whose eccentric tastes and extravagant appetite for art and human connection (if not exactly romance–more on this later) have helped him create a vibrant, memorable life. Of course David is ready for his final applause. 

The title Much Ado About Dying is an explicit Shakespeare reference, and David rattles off Shakespeare’s verse and prose–especially King Lear–with ease throughout the documentary, knowing the exact lines by heart to frame his new end-of-life experiences. It could be corny or obvious if forced by Chambers, but David is too devoted and talented a thespian–the result is wry and moving. The score is largely constructed through operatic excerpts (both sung and instrumental), adding to the self-conscious grandeur David seems to seek for the portrayal of his final experiences (indeed, something more modest or simple would be out of place).

While Much Ado About Dying is a raw, unsanitized look at end-of-life processes–Chambers narrates the good, bad, and ugly of the incontinence, lack of mobility, and behavioral changes that frustrate and baffle carers–nothing exploits David’s condition, and he is a cognizant and enthusiastic participant in what is portrayed.

The director and his uncle further bond over their experiences as gay men living in very different times. David only came out later in life and found freedom and flings in the experience, but never really felt that he found love. Chambers muses on his own greater luck in love and finds a kinship with his uncle through looking back at societal changes during the process of care–a duty he felt compelled to take on due to family connections and history but that deepens in connection throughout this shared time together. 

Another question raised by the documentary centers around palliative care at home and in medical settings. Caring for David is a time and resource intensive endeavor for Chambers and the professionals he hires to help with the care, and even as David’s condition deteriorates and his coping mechanisms create more work, his lucidity means he is not deemed eligible for state support. These catch-22s raise questions about the solitary and social dual nature of death, though the film is no diatribe against depleted state resources.

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. The result is a beautiful look at a time of life most prefer to ignore. Much Ado About Dying is a celebration of life at all its stages and the history, both intimate and societal, that bind us together.