Victor D’Altorio, a 52-year-old acting teacher, has decided to take his own life due to unbearable chronic back pain. The documentary Victor’s Last Class follows young filmmaker Brendan Brandt as he attempts to change Victor’s mind in the five months leading up to his planned suicide.
The film shows Victor delivering his last acting classes and interacting with students, while also examining more closely why he has chosen this path. It is an exploration of mortality and its effects on those around us, giving an intimate look at a man facing what may be the most difficult decision of his life.
The audience is presented with the dilemma of whether or not people should intervene in such a situation. As Brendan gets closer to Victor, the audience will experience first-hand how difficult it can be to make such decisions and how traumatic it can be for those affected by them.
Victor’s Last Class is a powerful exploration into death that serves as both educational and thought-provoking viewing. For anyone who has ever known someone in similar circumstances or wondered about our capacity for understanding death, this documentary provides many insights into the human condition. We highly recommend watching this film as it offers an emotional journey into one man’s struggle and inspires us all to cherish life while we still have it.
