Intensive Life Unit

Ondřej Kopecký and Kateřina Rusinová are pioneers of palliative care at Prague’s General University Hospital. In intimate conversations with patients who are beyond any possible cure, they seek answers to questions that are unconventional in the world of modern medicine: Do you believe in the supernatural? How long do you want to remain in this world? What treatment—if you want any at all—would suit you best? Each patient responds differently to these questions, just as to the question: “What is a good life?”

With caring attention, measured words, and immense respect for the personal values of their patients and their loved ones, these doctors show that palliative care is an indispensable component of modern medicine. With machines on one side and colleagues in white coats on the other, their focus is always on the human being. They often make a huge difference in the final phase of life of the people in their care.

This discreet and serious film, which was partly developed at IDFAcademy’s Summer School, regards the patients with the same dignity shown to them by the physicians, and brings something intangible—but so very human—up very close.