Stanford School of Medicine
Stanford Center for
Biomedical Ethics–

The Vanishing Line

Produced and directed by Maren Grainger-Monsen, M.D.
52 minutes, color, 1998

Honors

The Vanishing Line

The Vanishing Line follows physician/filmmaker Maren Monsen's journey toward understanding the art and issues of dying. A contemplative and personal film, The Vanishing Line takes viewers on a lyrical and heartfelt quest to discover an "art of dying" in a world that teaches physicians how to prolong life, but offers few prescriptions for coping with death. She learns from Jim Brigham, a hospice social worker who works with terminally ill clients, negotiating in advance whether they want to be resuscitated, what comfort measures to take, and whether to go to a hospital or die at home. In this age of medical "miracles," an increasing number of doctors, hospice workers, patients, and their families are being forced to ask these questions. "I hope that after seeing this film, people will look at death in a different way," says Monsen. "We talk about quality of life, yet never quality of death."

The Filmmaker

Maren Grainger-Monsen, M.D. is an independent filmmaker who specializes in innovative films on medical issues. She received her medical degree from the University of Washington, completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, and attended the London International Film School. Her credits include Where the Highway Ends: Rural Healthcare in Crisis , for which she won a regional Emmy, and Grave Words , which uses comedy to teach about death, and received first place in the American Medical Association Film Festival. Dr. Monsen is currently the Filmmaker in Residence at the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics.

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