Lively documentary about the onset of death to be screened at Bo'ness Hippodrome

A free networking lunch gathering will take place at the Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’ness on Monday, June 3 at the end of the documentary – Much Ado About Dying – facilitated by members from Maggies, Strathcarron and Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership.

The film, which will also be show on Friday, May 31, Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2, follows Simon Chambers, who is shooting a film in India when his uncle

David calls him with a message of doom, stating: “I think I may be dying.”

Simon finds his life drastically interrupted but resolves to try to help his uncle have a good death.

What the viewer does not yet know is that David is a total drama queen, a former actor and Shakespeare-lover who has grown old on a diet of attention and

applause.

David’s anarchic spirit is unbreakable. He fights with Simon, refusing to go into a care home, insisting on dying in the squalor of his unheated tumble-down house.

He cannot remember where he put his false teeth, but he still knows nearly all the lines from his beloved Shakespeare.

Despite seemingly insurmountable domestic challenges, illness, and the dreaded care home, they create an award-winning final performance to send David on his

way.

Alison Strauss, Hippodrome programmer, said: “Despite the apparently bleak subject matter this is a lovely and funny film. I was moved to tears by David’s precarious situation but moved to laughter by his fantastically irresistible ‘joie de vivre’.

"David’s outlook is a real inspiration for us all, and his nephew Simon’s struggles remind us that you don’t have to be perfect to make a difference. I am really pleased the teams will be on hand for the lunch afterwards on the Monday.

"It will be a friendly and relaxed opportunity for folk to speak among themselves about the film – or about anything at all – over a nice sandwich and a cup of tea, and the teams will be able to answer any questions about the services they provide in the area.”

Ami McKnight, support options for carers lead at Falkirk Council Place Services, said: “It is estimated that three in five of us will become carers at some point in our lives, and this networking event will be the perfect opportunity to speak with our team and some of our partners about the services we provide to unpaid carers in our community.”

David Henderson, community development lead at Strathcarron Hospice), added: “Strathcarron Hospice supports people to have as good a life as possible until the very end, and to have as good a death as possible.

"Normalising death and dying and early involvement with palliative care improves lives, the hospice has always felt a part of its local communities and the majority of our patients – 80 per cent – are seen in their own communities and their own home.

"Whether you’re living with a life limiting illness, caring for someone who is, or grieving over the death of a loved one, we’re here to help.”

Visit the website for tickets and more information.