When does life become a fate worse than death? In this age of medical "miracles," an increasing number of doctors, patients and their families are being forced to deal with this troubling, complex and universal question. THE VANISHING LINE, a contemplative, personal film by physician/filmmaker Maren Monsen, explores the timeless implications of this modern medical dilemma. Monsen takes viewers on a lyrical and heartfelt quest to discover an "art of dying" in a world that taught her how to prolong life, but offered few prescriptions for coping with death.

For doctors, death means failure. THE VANISHING LINE chronicles Monsen's personal and professional challenge regarding end-of-life issues.

"I'll never forget that phone call, the first time I was asked to pronounce someone dead," Monsen recalls at the start of the film. "I'd only been working in the emergency room a few weeks. Medical school had prepared me to treat disease but I had absolutely no idea how to deal with death. Our job is to keep people alive. So what was I really doing? Prolonging life, or prolonging death?"

Combining poetic imagery, clear-eyed documentary footage, and soul-searching commentary, Monsen evokes a provocative vocabulary for her exploration of death. Dramatic action sequences of emergency-room resuscitations are woven with a rich tapestry of images that includes three women in Greek chitons spinning the thread of life, a potent visual reminder that no matter how advanced medical technology becomes, life and death remain essentially beyond our control.

Monsen also follows Jim Brigham, a hospice social worker,as he visits the homes of some of his terminally ill clients. All are laying the groundwork for their imminent deaths, negotiating in advance whether or not they want to be resuscitated, what comfort measures will be taken, and whether to go to a hospital or die at home. Brigham shares the story of his wife Cay's prolonged death from multiple sclerosis in 1986, and explains how that experience profoundly affected the way he views the end of life: "This act of dying, of completing one's life, does not have to be a terrible and horrible thing," he says.

"I hope that after seeing this film, people will look at death in a different way," says Monsen. "I think that by putting an emphasis on the length of life and postponing death at all costs, people really lose the idea of having a good death, which I think is something very important. We talk about quality of life, yet never quality of death. What I learned in the process of making this film is that there are a lot of things physicians can do, even if they can't cure the disease. They can provide medication to ease the symptoms. They can provide compassion and support. And they can give the patients the information they need to understand how their disease or their death might unfold."

THE VANISHING LINE chronicles one physician's exploration of how to try and meet the needs of the dying and their families and looks at the choices and concerns involved in treating what has no cure with the right balance of technology, compassion and care.

"Inspiring!" —The Seattle Times

"Highly Recommended! Viewers will be prompted to weigh both sides of this difficult issue. For academic health science collections, social work programs and hospice programs." —Educational Media Reviews Online

"Marries the clear-eyed directedness of science to the raw honesty and fluid visual vocabulary of the arts."—Philadelphia Weekly

"A highly articulate documentary! Creates a vivid and illuminating revelation of how those who are dying might be better served." —The Hollywood Reporter

"Compelling! Maren Monsen brings a unique perspective to this polished production."—Booklist