What this film is all about

Jan’s Leaving the Planet is a tender, life-affirming short documentary about love, agency, and the complicated courage of saying goodbye.

Jan, a brash and outspoken lesbian from Seattle, has lived with terminal cancer for almost five years and has meticulously planned her final day: on September 8, 2025, she will gather friends and family for a celebratory send-off before taking the medical aid in dying medication, as loved ones raise glasses of champagne in her honor. But when her beloved wife dies unexpectedly before that day arrives, Jan’s carefully choreographed exit is profoundly altered. Now preparing to leave the world while grieving the love of her life, she must confront a new and unanticipated question: how do you choose your own ending when loss has already rewritten the story?

Intimate and unflinching, the film explores autonomy, communal witnessing, remembering, and the messy, human reality of planning a “good death” in the shadow of heartbreak.

A man operating a camera and filming two elderly women sitting on a park bench, holding hands and smiling, surrounded by green foliage.

Jan and her college friend Genia chat in Lincoln Park, with cameraman Tom. 8/25

We filmed with Jan over 4 days in August and September, including her final day on earth.

Now, we are beginning the post-production process as of October 2025.