Before What Comes After

Tragicomedy from 93-year-old director Costa-Gavras, inspired by the work of Régis Debray and Claude Grange.

What begins as a chance encounter during a routine checkup evolves into a profound friendship between acclaimed philosopher Fabrice Toussaint (Denis Podalydès, The President's Wife) and head of palliative care Doctor Augustin Masset (Kad Medrad, The Big Hit). Woven through radical conversations with Masset, his team of passionate caregivers, and their patients, Costa-Gavras unearths our buried fears of death and dying while gently reminding us of the art of listening. Guided by Masset’s radical approach to patient care, Toussaint discovers the power of returning choice to the body and the dignity in dying as one chooses. Dialogical and Socratic in tone, yet never stuffy, this film lyrically grapples with unanswerable questions, responding to our existential fears with love and care. 

Less