That Good Night

Ralph, a once-famous screenwriter and film director, is in his seventies and terminally ill. He has two final missions in life: to be reconciled to his long-abandoned son, Michael, and, secretly, to ensure he is not a burden to his younger devoted wife, Anna, as he goes “into that good night”. But Ralph wrecks all hope of reconciliation when he picks a fight with Michael’s girlfriend, Cassie. Later, alone, Ralph receives the sinister and mysterious “Visitor” whose services he has hired to provide the painless ending to his life. But The Visitor plays a devastating trick.

Set in their luxury villa in the remote hilltops that surround the Algarve coastline of Portugal, this tragic love story bravely tackles issues of euthanasia, nature and the meaning of life and death. Based on the hugely successful stage play by NJ Crisp, its brilliant and witty arguments address issues that we traditionally avoid. Against a backdrop of a deeply Catholic Mediterranean village community the imagery throws us uncomfortably back into the life of Christ as portrayed in the gospels.