A Short Stay in Switzerland

A Short Stay in Switzerland is a 2009 British television film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Frank McGuinness. It stars Julie Walters, who won the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Dr Anne Turner. It was produced by the BBC and was later released on DVD in regions 1 and 2.
It was also nominated for other numerous awards including the BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama and Best Actress.

Plot

Having recently witnessed the death of her husband from a neurological disease, Dr Anne Turner is diagnosed with near-identical illness progressive supranuclear palsy and determines to end her life once her condition has reached a critical point. As her health deteriorates, Anne's son, Edward, and two daughters, Sophie and Jessica, struggle to reach a consensus over their mother's intentions to end her life in an assisted dying facility in Switzerland and while they search for alternative options, silent recriminations and stubborn practicality threaten to tear the family apart. With her family at loggerheads, Anne must also face the fury of her best friend, whose opposing views bring them into direct conflict.

Cast

Julie Walters as Dr Anne Turner
Stephen Campbell Moore as Edward
Lyndsey Marshal as Jessica
Liz White as Sophie
Michelle Fairley as Mrs Savery
Will Knightley as Dr Jack Turner
Patrick Malahide as Richard
Harriet Walter as Clare
Bruce Alexander as Doctor

Background

The film was inspired by the true story of Dr Anne Turner, who opted for an assisted suicide in Zurich, having developed the incurable neurodegenerative disease progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Before being diagnosed with PSP, Dr Turner had nursed her husband until he died from a similar disease, multiple system atrophy (MSA). Dr Turner had also had breast cancer. Her brother had also suffered from a progressive condition, motor neurone disease.