Review for ‘‘The Closing Chapter’’ by Eric Felizardo

Death has been on everyone’s mind, at some point in our lives. For some people, it becomes more than imagination and creeps into reality. The question posed by Eric Felizardo's short film The Closing Chapter, is how exactly a young person at the peak of their potential would cope with the new reality, and what one can do to brighten life until its point of conclusion.

The plot is as minimal as it needs to be, not bothering with much beyond chronicling the final days of the protagonist, a young girl living with end-stage cancer, as well as her interactions with her family, but most of all, the introversion and thoughtfulness that the impending end brings. Only through loved hobbies, through setting boundaries and putting one's own mental health first in this crucial moment in life, and in choosing exactly the circumstances, social environment and timing of one's passing, can a predetermined end be truly dignified and complete. The film touches on questions such as what exactly a cancer patient needs, how one copes with their mortality, what is owed to and from terminal patients, and many more, deeper thoughts.

Technically, the young filmmaker and his team never lose sight of their work's thematic axis, and thus concentrate all their efforts on expressing Anna's psychological and biological tribulations through everything from colors, to shadows, to scenery and well-placed music. Though typical in style, fitting, after all, in service of a common story that represents reality for thousands of families across the world, camerawork and editing immerse us into the protagonist's final days without letting show or extravagance ever take center stage from the heartbreaking yet important tale being posited.

In conclusion, The Closing Chapter delivers from the first second to the last, exactly as it says on the tin. A story that is equally important as it is an everyday affair around the world, without rough edges, filmed with uncharacteristic professionalism for such a young creator, We hope to see more, with different themes and techniques from a team that obviously has its bases covered.