Amalie Is Dying

In this life-affirming documentary, we follow 21-year- old Amalie Vilslev who suffers from a rare, chronic respiratory disease. She received a transplant, but in 2022, her body rejected the new lungs; she was dying. “The time is now”, became Amalie’s motto for everything she did. TV 2 Echo was with her, docu- menting the last, important moments with her loved ones. Death is bravely portrayed from a young person’s POV. Even though the death of a 21-year-old woman is a tragedy, the documentary still shines a light of hope. Amalie remained cheerful, proving that you can enjoy your youth, do silly things with your friends, get tattooed, and drive a Porsche with your dad even with time running out. The presentation of death is brutally honest; in the very first scenes Amalie shows the coffin she will be buried in. She piercingly narrates her story, which is beyond effectual, as she was dead when the show aired. This could trigger the audience but since the program is based on conversations with Amalie and her family, the audience received her story how she intended it; thousands of people wrote comments on social media, sparking a national conversation on death and making it less of a taboo. They echoed Amalie’s message: “You must live now”.