Life After

Life After is an investigative documentary that exposes the web of moral dilemmas and profit motives surrounding assisted dying. Disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport uncovers abuses of power while amplifying the voices of the disability community fighting for justice and dignity in an unfolding matter of life and death.

In 1983, a disabled Californian woman named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the “right to die,” igniting a national debate about autonomy and the value of disabled lives. After years of courtroom battles, Bouvia vanished from public view. Davenport embarks on a personal investigation to find out what really happened to Bouvia and reveal why her story is relevant today.

Disabled people continue to face premature death—whether through the case of Michael Hickson, who was left to die by a Texas hospital, or the choice of Jerika Bolen, a Wisconsin teen who received support from her community to end her life. Davenport’s exploration takes him to Canada, where regulations surrounding Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) have been expanded to allow disabled individuals unprecedented access—even when their deaths are not reasonably foreseeable. In Ontario, Davenport meets Michal Kaliszan, a disabled computer programmer who once considered MAID as his only option to avoid entering an institution.

In a society where ableism and inadequate healthcare often limit true choices, Life After exposes the intersection of systemic failures and personal autonomy. The film challenges the notion that assisted dying always represents a free choice, revealing how it can sometimes be perceived as the only option.