the films "children of men" and "soylent green" depict instances of government-sponsored euthanasia in order to strengthen their dystopian themes. the protagonist of the film "johnny got his gun" is a brutally mutilated war veteran whose request for euthanasia furthers the work's anti-war message. the recent films "mar adentro" and "million dollar baby" argue more directly in favor of euthanasia by illustrating the suffering of their protagonists. these films have provoked debate and controversy in their home countries of spain and the united states respectively.