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Much Ado About Dying

Play trailer Poster for Much Ado About Dying 2024 1h 24m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 16 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Filmmaker Simon finds his life drastically interrupted when he is called back to London from India to care for his retired bohemian gay actor Uncle David. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. 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 can't remember where he put his false teeth but he still knows nearly all the lines from his beloved Shakespeare plays. David's real life starts to echo "King Lear", the play about an old man going mad and giving his kingdom away, as David starts giving away thousands of pounds to a hot sexy "helper". How do we deal with and care for our relatives who are living longer than ever? How does Simon help David to have a good death?

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Much Ado About Dying

Critics Reviews

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Donald Clarke Irish Times May 10, 2024
4/5
The atmosphere of fug, filth and peril is suffocating. But Chambers selects the footage cunningly to always allow whispers of charm to filter through the stubbornness. Go to Full Review
Leslie Felperin Guardian May 2, 2024
4/5
I can think of few documentaries that are more honest, self-scrutinising and revelatory about ageing, familial love and its limits, and the whole tragicomic process of dying. Go to Full Review
Vikram Murthi IndieWire Mar 15, 2024
C+
While Much Ado About Dying strives to be a tribute to caretakers and Chambers’ dearly departed uncle, its baggy structure, dictated by David’s declining health, renders the film frustratingly inert. Go to Full Review
John Stark Mac the Movie Guy May 9, 2026
84/100
Death comes for us all. Perhaps that is he most sobering truth in much Ado About Dying. Go to Full Review
Gavin Spoors FILMHOUNDS Magazine Aug 4, 2025
3/5
For all the film's messiness, it still knocks you back with its stark depiction of life, and eventually death. Go to Full Review
David-Elijah Nahmod Bay Area Reporter Jan 7, 2025
Besides provoking discussion, "Much Ado About Dying" introduces viewers to one of the most colorful and unforgettable characters they will ever encounter. Even as he lay dying, David lived his life on his own terms. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Lora M @RT37012139 May 28, 2025 It gives a realistic view of a caregiver and the choices that Simon had to make that are not always black and white. How frustrating it can be as a caregiver and allowing a person to live their life. David is being cared for by Simon. Questions about when do we step in without taking over someone’s rights as a person. I could totally relate to so much of what Simon was going through. David was an interesting character. Laughter, Love and Life. Give it a watch👍🏼 See more
dick d @TheVault May 13, 2024 Watched this in 2022 when it first came out and with the filmmaker in attendance taking questions. Very engrossing from start to finish, really excellent. See more
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Much Ado About Dying

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Cast & Crew

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Simon Chambers

Director

David Rane

Producer

Simon Chambers

Cinematographer

Claire Ferguson

Film Editor

Irene Buckley

Original Music

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Much Ado About Dying

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Simon finds his life drastically interrupted when he is called back to London from India to care for his retired bohemian gay actor Uncle David. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. 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 can't remember where he put his false teeth but he still knows nearly all the lines from his beloved Shakespeare plays. David's real life starts to echo "King Lear", the play about an old man going mad and giving his kingdom away, as David starts giving away thousands of pounds to a hot sexy "helper". How do we deal with and care for our relatives who are living longer than ever? How does Simon help David to have a good death?
Director
Simon Chambers
Producer
David Rane
Distributor
Cosmic Cat
Production Co
Soilsiú Films, Soilsu Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 15, 2024, Limited
Runtime
1h 24m
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