THEY WILL BE DUST, love and death intertwine in the musical drama “Euthanasia Romance”.

Carlos Marques-Marcet’s latest film, They will be dustbegins with a tender depiction of a later romance between two lifelong partners.

While their love is a celebration of life, it is also a poignant reminder of the vows they once made: “Til death do us part.” For Claudia (Ángela Molina), who was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, she decides , to embark on her final journey to Switzerland, with her devoted partner Flavio (Alfredo Castro) at her side. The film is less a meditation on death itself than an examination of how we prepare for it, both for ourselves and those we love.

Marques-Marcet, known for combining realism with imaginative storytelling techniques, once again expands his cinematic style. In They will be dusthe introduces dance elements, a surprising choice given the gravity of the subject matter.

However, rather than serving as a distraction or lightening the mood, the dance sequences deepen the film’s emotional resonance and articulate feelings that dialogue alone cannot express. Death is presented here not as a final end, but as part of an ongoing dialogue between life and love, a reflection on how we connect with one another in the face of life’s inevitable end.

Claudia and Flavio, both in their 70s and with artistic careers behind them, still display a youthful exuberance in their love that is reminiscent of teenage infatuation. However, this vitality is called into question by Claudia’s diagnosis.

But it’s not Claudia who falls into despair, but Flavio. Claudia, determined to take her fate into her own hands, opts for euthanasia. Flavio, despite his good health, cannot bear to be separated from her and decides to join her in the double assisted suicide, a final act of love and the symbol of interdependence.

In a symbolic gesture, the couple holds a second wedding ceremony and invites their three children. Her daughter Violeta (Monica Almirall), who maintains a close bond with her parents, knows about the decision to die together. During the wedding dinner, she reveals the plan and hopes to get her siblings to intervene. Her outburst disrupts the celebrations, but ultimately doesn’t change the course of events.

They will be dust could be seen as a more heartwarming and romanticized counterpoint to Michael Haneke’s work Love. While Marques-Marcet acknowledges the limitations of life, he imbues the story with a sense of theatricality rather than existential despair.

The relationship between Claudia and Flavio is idealized and shows two people who remain deeply connected even during arguments. Ángela Molina’s portrayal of Claudia, a woman full of life despite her terminal illness, conveys a character determined to face death on her own terms and without regret.

Marques-Marcet avoids melodrama, but primarily integrates dance sequences that break with conventional narrative. His collaboration with the dance company La Veronal and musician María Arnal elevates the film beyond realism and creates a liminal space in which inner emotions are expressed through movement.

A standout sequence, set in a morgue, shows dancers interacting with coffins, but there is nothing morbid about the scene. Instead, it is a strikingly memorable expression of the intertwining of life and death.

While Marques-Marcet’s earlier works often relied on naturalistic settings, here the landscapes, be they the sun-drenched beaches of Barcelona or the cold, mountainous areas of Switzerland, take on symbolic weight. Switzerland in particular captures the film’s central tension between peace and finality.

The scenes in the Dignitas facility, where Claudia and Flavio end their lives, are handled with restraint. The film depicts the euthanasia process with a calm distance, avoids emotional manipulation and yet offers a humane and dignified portrayal.

They will be dust is both pragmatic and poetic in its approach to euthanasia, portraying it with a rare sensitivity that underscores the enduring love between its protagonists. Marques-Marcet changes the conventions of the romantic film and offers an ending that is neither overly dramatic nor sentimental, but one that reflects calm.

They will be dust won the Platform Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.