Date of Submission
5-2025
Type of Work
Exegesis and Creative Work
Principal Supervisor
Dr. Pablo Muslera
Associate Supervisor
Dr. Toby Wren
Second Associate Supervisor
Dr. Lola Montgomery
Keywords
Practice-led research; creative-led practice; script writing; screenplay; character transformation; near-death experience; shared death experience; life review
Audience
General (G) - suitable for everyone
Abstract
This exegesis explores the transformative potential of near-death experiences (NDEs) and shared-near-death experiences (SNDEs) through the creation of the fictional screenplay titled Die With Me. Employing a non-linear narrative structure, the screenplay follows a protagonist who, through a SNDE, enters her mother-in-law’s NDE - an encounter that profoundly reshapes their perspectives and relationship.
The research integrates case study analysis of relevant films, a review of academic literature, and engagement with autobiographical accounts of NDEs and SDEs. Grounded in Smith and Dean’s (2009, p. 20) iterative cycle web of practice model, the project employs a cyclical approach that blends creative-led, practice-led and research-led methodologies to ensure a well-informed screenplay. My resulting artefact, informed by reported and creative depictions of SNDEs, interrogates how familial relationships may be affected by cultural understandings and experiences of mortality. In doing so, it creatively rehabilitates the often negative stereotype of the mother-in-law relationship.
Recommended Citation
Stipanovic, S. (2025). Die With Me: An exploration of cultural notions of mortality and their potential influence on in-law relationships through a fictional shared-near-death experience [Masters dissertation, SAE University College]. Creo.