Most documentaries are about one kind of secret, the kind people like to talk about: Scientology is a con, autodidacticism is a con, capitalism is the saddest con of all. But Extremis, the new short documentary from Netflix, is about the other kind of secret, the kind we already know and do everything we can to forget. The trailer lays this out right away, as Dr. Jessica Zitter tells a group of residents, “Here’s the reality: We’re all gonna die. Everyone standing in this room is gonna die one day.” Zitter specializes in critical and palliative care at Oakland’s Highland Hospital—she’s written about it—and Extremis looks at the agonizing decisions made in end-of-life care. Along with upcoming documentary Audrie & Daisy, Netflix seems to be spending September trying to drive up the cost of tissues.
The film, directed by Dan Krauss, won the Best Documentary Short award at Tribeca this year. It’s only 24 minutes long, but even the trailer is tough to watch, from the opening shots of a patient being asked to squeeze the doctor’s hand (she can’t) to someone’s next of kin saying, “I want to make sure that she knows that we’ve explored all the options” (she can’t). Since Netflix’s business plan is essentially distracting us from the one-way trip we’re all on, it’s unclear whether or not distributing Extremis will turn out to be a smart move. On its Sept. 13 release date, the film will either inspire a lot of people to turn off their TVs and spend time with the people they love or else inspire a lot of desperate binges of House of Cards, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Musical Brocade. Are you still watching?
