Based on the true story of Mario Verstraete, Time of My Life (aka “Tot altijd”) is an effective social-issue drama in the cause of legalizing euthanasia in Belgium.
The film could have easily become a propaganda piece, an agit-prop, but instead, it unfolds as a truly touching and inspirational tale about one long and vigorous campaign .
Timing proves bad for Mario: Just when his political career is about to take off, he is diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis.
Told through the eyes of his doctor friend Thomas, “Time of My Life” focuses on how Mario and his friends deal with the crisis, how they come to terms with both the philosophical and human sides of the issue, leaving us with nothing but a renewed vigor for life itself.
There is limited audience for such a film, whose subject has been done in the U.S. on the small screen as TV Movie of the Week. But for those who like foreign language films, it’s worth taking a look at a serious film that resists the temptation to get sentimental or bath in self-pity or pathos.