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Courtesy of 'Obit'
Obit: To Make the Dead Live Again
From the film: “It’s counter-intuitive, ironically, but obits have next to nothing to do with death—and, in fact, absolutely everything to do with the life.”
Vanessa Gould is one of those documentary filmmakers who is not prolific. I’ve seen all two of her films: “Between the Folds” about origami, and now Obit about the obituary writers of The New York Times. Although those two topics are light years apart, they share the quality, the passion of a master filmmaker.
Gould lets the obituary writers tell their story in Obit. They speak of the history of obituaries, and the challenges of writing a nano-biography—a flawless, instantly engaging 600 to 900 word piece—in a few hours. The goal is to get the piece in the morning edition.
Hint: If you are a famous or infamous person, you can reduce your obituary writer’s stress—and, therefore, increase their lifespan—by dying anytime from early evening through early morning. An afternoon passing spells trouble for the writers. It makes it more challenging to get the piece out in a timely manner. Also, don’t die too young, the writers will not have an ‘advance’—a pre-written obituary—ready for you
Obviously, obituaries make a tough topic. Gould has met the challenge, she has created a flawless, instantly engaging 93 minute piece.
Obit is distributed by Kino Lorber.
(Pictured William McDonald, Desk Editor)