In 2007, a newly sober Mike forms a life saving friendship with an elderly Byron. It’s now 2019, Mike is managing Byron’s care and faces the moral dilemma: convince him to live or help him die.
The Last Day Of Byron Bray is a story about two dear friends- one at the end of his life and the other struggling to find his place in the world. The age gap is 5 decades. Unfolding in real time, the story takes place on the last night of Byron’s life. Unbeknownst to Mike, Byron has a specific reason he invites him over in the middle of the night. A vivid conversation about life and death ensues- humor, humanity and grit bind these unlikely best friends in a way neither one could anticipate. Byron somehow knows that his death is imminent. A prophetic dream seems to support this notion, leaving Mike with a wrenching dilemma: Does he accept his friend’s readiness to die, or does he urge him to stay alive?
Byron is ready, Mike is not ready to let him go… Until Mike, in a moment of clarity, finally understands the magnitude of what it means to have lived life to its fullest, and thus to be wholeheartedly ready for death when the moment arrives.
Bearing witness to Byron’s complete acceptance allows Mike to experience his own authentic self in away he never imagined possible. The film culminates with Mike bringing Byron’s ashes to his favorite place on Earth, Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway. A surreal, visual and sonic experience crescendos as Mike walks toward a glorious fountain in the heart of the park. This fountain, a breathtaking sight, is overflowing and rushing with water….life affirming. The image and the moment restores Mike. We feel what he feels. Byron’s final resting place is a new beginning for Mike. He now truly understands his place in the world.