A review of M.A.I.D.
M.A.I.D.
Published September 5, 2026
Synopsis
What happens when loving someone means respecting a choice you would do anything to change? M.A.I.D. is a story about love, autonomy, grief, and the impossible space between holding on and letting go. Starring Kimberly Steele and Brynne London. Written & Directed by Blake Martin.
Critic Score
★★★★★ 5.0
Audience Score
★★★★★ 5.0
(15 ratings)
Cast
Crew
11 responses to “M.A.I.D.”
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As a young Black girl, I feel like we don’t always get to see stories about us where we’re allowed to just be human and make hard choices without somebody trying to tell us what we should’ve done.
The natural conversation between the two ladies was probably my favorite part because I kept going back and forth on who I agreed with. 😭 One minute I was like “okay Natasha has a point” and then the woman would say something and I’d be like WAIT…she has a point too. I loved that the movie didn’t make either one of them seem like the bad person or making bad choices.
And that little moment with the bracelet got me. It was so small but it said SO much without them having to explain it. I actually love when movies trust you enough to catch things like that.
I also loved how uncomfortable some of the silence was. There were moments where nobody was saying anything but you could tell exactly what they were thinking. Especially the woman. Her face was doing a whole scene by itself at certain points lol.
Nothing felt overly dramatic just for the sake of making you cry. It felt like two women having a conversation that neither one of them really wanted to have, but they HAD to have it.
And I’m sorry but when everything finally clicked for me at the end??? 😭 I literally said “ohhhhhhh” out loud. Then I wanted to go back and watch certain parts again because things hit completely different once you know.
I think what stayed with me the most was that I understood both women. I wasn’t mad at either one of them. I just felt for them. And it honestly made me wonder what I would do if I was ever in that situation.
It’s short but it really stays with you after it’s over. I already told my friends they need to watch it because I need somebody to talk about it with lol.
Definitely worth watching. ❤️ Great job y’all
Okay so I watched this and first of all, I was not prepared-at all. I’m 60 and maybe my age has something to do with how I received it because I come from the “you keep going until God calls you home” generation. That’s what I know. So this whole idea of choosing when you’ve had enough is hard for me.
Now did I understand that woman? Absolutely. And that’s what messed me up. Because I wanted to disagree with her so bad and then I’m sitting here like well damn, she does have a point. If you know you’re dying and every day is pain and hospitals and medicine and somebody helping you do everything, do I really get to tell you that you HAVE to keep doing that?
But here’s where y’all might get mad at me. I kept asking myself, what makes this different from suicide?
Seriously. Not saying it is the same because I know it’s more complicated than that. But I kept thinking about it. If my healthy friend told me she wanted to die, I would do everything in my power to stop her. No question. But if she has cancer and the doctors say there’s nothing else they can do, now I’m supposed to respect that same decision? Why?
Baby I went down a whole rabbit hole with my thoughts. But I think thats what film is supposed to do, make you think. But I think it was written beautifully and was a really great piece of work.
good
Anyone else cackle at the Tyler Perry line?
M.A.I.D. genuinely left me sitting with it long after the credits. The way you explored autonomy, grief, love, and the humanity in choosing yourself was so tender and deeply moving. As a young Black woman who has known the loneliness and fear of hospital rooms, I saw pieces of myself in Natasha, and Suzette felt like such a beautiful guardian angel. I cried because I understood. 🥺
Beautifully written, beautifully told, and brought to life phenomenally by Brynn London & Kimberly Steele. Blake, you are truly a mastermind. This is the kind of storytelling that reminds you why film matters. 🤍🎥
Man…this was tough. I watched this joint and I think what got me was how helpless I felt watching it. As a man, I’m used to thinking if somebody I love has a problem, there has to be SOMETHING I can do. Call somebody. Pay for something. Find another doctor. Get another opinion. Just fix it.
But what do you do when there is no fixing it?
That’s where this movie had me.
I kept putting myself in the younger girls shoes and I’m sorry, I don’t know if I could do it. You’re telling me that you’ve made peace with dying and now I have to somehow make peace with it too? Nah. I’d probably be the selfish one begging you to stay.
And I’m not even talking about whether assisted dying is right or wrong because I still don’t know how I feel about that. What I kept thinking about was how much we say “I love you” when really sometimes we mean “I need you here.” There’s a moment toward the end where hardly anything is being said and I swear that part got me more than all the talking. I won’t ruin it but if you watched it, you know.
I thought I was about to watch a sad little short film. Ended up sitting on my couch questioning whether I could actually put somebody else’s wishes before my own feelings.
Good movie. Heavy as hell though.
This short film was very touching and showed the other levels to being human and embracing life. The actresses were amazing and so real. Wonderful job, cant wait for a part 2!
This short film was nice. For it to be a short film, it was also meaningful. I won’t spoil it for those who have not watched it yet but when you do, you’ll see exactly what I mean. I loved and enjoyed every second of this film. Amazing story, amazing film of course, and amazing actresses ❤️ Go watch!!
I’m a physician and I almost didn’t watch this because I spend enough of my life in hospitals as it is. But a friend sent it to me (with questions about its authenticity) and I’m glad she did.
There were so many little things here that felt familiar to me. Especially the calmness of it all. I’ve been in rooms with people who know they’re approaching the end of their life and I think movies sometimes get that wrong. It isn’t always crying and screaming and everybody falling apart. Sometimes (many times) the patient is the calmest person in the room. They’ve had time to think about this. Their family may still be trying to catch up emotionally, but the patient themselves has already gotten somewhere the rest of us haven’t. That felt very true here.
Now the doctor in me did have a few “okay, we skipped some steps” moments – The actual process is much longer than what you see in the film. There are evaluations, conversations, documentation and safeguards that obviously don’t make for exciting television. But I also understand I watched a short film, not a medical training video, so I wasn’t bothered by that. What they did show felt informed enough that I never felt like the subject was being treated carelessly.
Natasha was actually the one who made me the saddest. She was so young. I kept looking at her thinking about how many young family members I’ve seen sitting beside somebody they love trying to be strong because they think that’s what the patient needs from them. You can see that she’s trying to hold herself together and be present but she’s not ready. How could she be? At one point I actually thought, I know these women. Not literally of course. But I could see them sitting in my waiting room. I could see Natasha asking me questions after the appointment because she didn’t want to ask them in front of her loved one. I could see the other woman being completely at peace with her decision while everybody around her is still hoping she’ll change her mind. I’ve met versions of both of them.
And thank you for not making the final moments some huge dramatic production. Seriously. Death can be incredibly quiet. Sometimes there is no profound final speech. No movie moment. Sometimes a room just gets still. That part felt honest to me.
I’m sure people will watch and debate whether they agree with the choice being made. I understand that. As a doctor, though, I found myself thinking less about whether I agreed and more about the people I’ve had the privilege of caring for when medicine could no longer give them what they wanted most. This one brought a few faces back to me.
Beautiful film. I probably experienced it a little differently because of what I do for a living, but maybe that’s also why it got me the way it did.
Powerful, intimate, and deeply moving. This short film takes on an incredibly complex subject with compassion, honesty, and remarkable emotional depth.
Seeing a Black story engage so thoughtfully with questions of dignity, autonomy, mortality, love, and letting go made the film especially resonant. Nothing about the subject is easy, yet the storytelling creates space for both the pain and the humanity at its center.
And on a personal note, watching a dear friend deliver such a nuanced and affecting performance was truly special. I may be a little biased, but the work speaks for itself. The performance is vulnerable, grounded, and unforgettable.
Beautifully told, beautifully performed, and the kind of short film that stays with you long after the credits roll. Congratulations to everyone who brought this important story to life.