Main content

Edge of Life

Documentary. Louis Theroux explores the American way of death as he looks at end of life care in LA's most famous hospital, the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.

Louis visits LA's most famous hospital, the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in West Hollywood, where he meets patients battling for their lives against serious illnesses.

America spends a huge amount on health care and a hefty proportion goes on end of life care, with a wide and expensive array of treatments on offer to those with insurance or who qualify for government funded programmes. Louis talks to patients and their families as they face some of the toughest decisions imaginable - whether to accept death and die in relative comfort, or to gamble on further, possibly painful treatment in the hope that it will cure them or prolong their life. He also talks to the doctors whose job it is to guide people through this traumatic process.

Over several months Louis explores the American way of death, which often involves never giving up and keeping faith right to the end.

Available now

1 hour

Last on

Sun 26 Jul 2020 23:00

Music Played

  • Foals

    Blue Blood

  • Air

    Alone in Kyoto

  • The Cinematic Orchestra

    贰苍迟谤'补肠迟别听

Why I moved to Los Angeles

Why I moved to Los Angeles
"We would not be making documentaries about Hollywood glamour, showbiz agents and publicists, parties, premieres. No, the programmes would be our kinds of stories - immersive examinations of life at its most raw and emotional... crime, mental illness, life and death."

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Louis Theroux
Producer Jamie Pickup
Director Jamie Pickup
Series Producer Rob Farquhar

Broadcasts

Featured in...

Explore the world of Louis Theroux documentaries and ground-breaking interviews

Explore the world of Louis Theroux documentaries and ground-breaking interviews

Discover Louis Theroux content across the 大象传媒.

Louis Theroux

Louis Theroux

A series of documentary films presented by Louis Theroux