Film Review: Stray Bodies
by Rose Finlay

India Donaldson, USA 2024

Over the years, primarily due to the existence of the European Union (EU), many different rules and regulations have been unified throughout the continent. However, in Elina Psykou’s impactful documentary STRAY BODIES, we follow several women in different countries who struggle to obtain the healthcare that they need. Robin lives in Malta and would like have to an abortion. Unfortunately, Malta has one of the most restrictive abortion regulations in Europe, so she is forced to travel to Italy to obtain one. Katerina struggles with infertility, so she leaves the restrictive Italy to travel to Greece where there are easier regulations for fertility clinics. Finally, Kiki, a Greek woman paralyzed by ALS, would like to die with dignity. This is not allowed in Greece, so Psykou showcases how assisted suicide is handled in Switzerland.

Life and death and how they relate to our basic humanity is at the fore in STRAY BODIES. Women are the focus almost exclusively throughout except for brief interludes with a couple of men. One is a prolific Italian sperm donor who faced social backlash in the press after it was revealed he offered his services privately online when only married heterosexual couples in Italy are allowed to receive fertility treatments. Another man is an Orthodox priest who also suffers from paralysis, but who relays his belief in how his suffering brings him closer to God, in contrast to Kiki who wishes for assisted suicide. The rest of the film is about women. Women who desperately want to have a baby, women who desperately don’t, babies being born, the old and the sick reaching the end of their lives, assisted by a female doctor. Their bodies are forced to move across the continent, when able, to find the healthcare that they seek. Psykou’s camera does not judge, it simply relays the fact that life and death and our choices regarding our bodies are heavily dependent upon where we live. Each country has its own unique sticking points on the topic, ultimately resulting in healthcare tourism throughout the continent and leading to financial loss and stress. STRAY BODIES is an deeply moving documentary which should not be missed.