Citation

Sabbadinin A. Rivista Di Psicoanalisi 2015; 61(2): 515-525.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article is a psychoanalytically informed reflection on some of the issues raised by Valeria Golino's film Miele (2013). Its young protagonist, Irene, earns a living and makes herself feel helpful to others by procuring a lethal drug for terminally ill patients who wish to decide themselves when, where, and how to die, and assisting them in the last hours of their lives. The article focuses on the complex psychological and moral implications involved in the phenomenon of euthanasia and, more specifically, on Irene's over determined motivations for her activities. These include powerful "rescue fantasies", partly originating from her own personal past experiences. The dynamics of Irene's relationship with Carlo, an older potential client, and his tragic suicide force both her and us, the spectators of Miele, to ask difficult and perhaps unanswerable questions about the meaning of our existence. © 2015, E-Flow PDF Societa Psicoanalitica Italiana. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Euthanasia; Film Miele (Golino); Rescue fantasies